Unconditional
by Angels of Twilight
Summary: Sequel to Vengeance. Bella and Edward are married and everything is great until one hunting trip and a couple of unknown vamps turn their peaceful world upside down. Bella saves a life, but what else will be thrown at them? Will they make it?
1. Hunting

**A/N: The… **_**short**_** awaited sequel is here! The only thing I have to say is that, in my Twilight world, vamps can sleep. I know I said they couldn't in Vengeance, but it just makes the story so much easier to write right now…Sorry to anyone who does not like that.**

**Disclaimer: No, it has not changed since the last story! I do not own Twilight! And this will NOT be on the rest of the chapters. Once is enough!**

_Hunting_

**BPOV**

_3 months later…_

We were all sitting on the couch in the living room watching a movie that none of us really cared about watching. It was some stupid-funny movie. You know, those movies with no plot but are so funny you watch them anyway… Yeah, this time none of us were, though. Emmet looked bored out of his mind (nothing different there…), Rose was leaning against him staring off into her own perfect world, Alice was laying across Jasper's lap and staring at the ceiling, and Jasper looked like he was trying to keep himself from entering a spiraling pit of despair from the unhappy emotions around him. Edward had his head in the crook of my neck and my head was resting on his. I was practically asleep when that annoying burning decided that now was not the time to sleep.

I sighed and lifted my head. I tried to get up without disturbing Edward, but the effort was useless. Any time I did something, he seemed to know about it. I didn't really mind, though. I knew he was just trying to keep his promise to me.

_Flashback_

"_At least he's not alone anymore," I said._

"_No, I'm not. And neither are you," Edward said. "And you never will be, ever again."_

I would never forget that he said that, and I let him keep that promise every day. I didn't feel complete without him around, so him being around all the time was something I was not going to argue over.

"Where are you going?" He said as he reached for me.

I smiled and chuckled. "Hunting. Apparently I'm thirsty, so I'm going to quench it before it gets too bad."

"Okay. Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all."

"Good, since I was going to come anyway."

"Why would I say no?"

He stood there and thought about what I had said.

"I-I don't really know…"

I laughed and grabbed his hand. "Oh, come on."

I led him outside and we ran into the woods. I loved the feeling of the wind rushing through my hair. It was exhilarating! I laughed loud and Edward joined me in my sweet ecstasy. We kept running until we got close to one of the more recently populated clearings.

We stopped just outside the clearing and knelt down below the bushes. I could hear quite a large herd in front of us. Today was our lucky day. The wind was blowing our scents away from the deer, which kept them oblivious to our arrival. I took a chance and peaked through the brush.

_Jackpot._

There were at least twenty deer in front of us, the biggest herd I had ever seen. Edward looked through, as well.

_You can say that again._

I retreated back behind the bushes and twirled the ring on my left hand. It became a habit when I was anxious. Edward drew back as well and laughed silently when he saw me doing that.

_You must need it pretty bad to be doing that._

_No, I just still get a little rush, that's all._

I stopped and concentrated on finding the one I wanted.

_There._

A strong doe was feeding a little to the left of the rest. She was one of three that didn't have a baby, so she was my only choice. I still wouldn't kill a mother or her baby. Emmet called me a sap, but I just couldn't.

I moved down a little so that I was right behind her. Edward moved the other way, finding his target, as well.

_Ready?_ I asked.

_Yes, and you?_

_Let's go._

We looked at each other and nodded our heads. We leapt out of our hiding place and went after our targets. I got mine down quickly and looked over to where Edward was. He had gotten his down, as well. I looked back at mine and took what I needed. When I was finished, I got up and looked around. The rest of the herd had scattered when we entered, so we were alone now. I heard Edward walk over and he wrapped his arms around me from behind. I leaned back into him and sighed.

"Well, that was productive," he said in my ear.

I chuckled and closed my eyes. It was so relaxing, standing in the middle of the woods with the love of your eternal life. I sighed again. I felt myself slowly being lowered to the ground and didn't bother to open my eyes. I felt Edward lay down right next to me and throw his arm across my stomach.

We laid like that for a few minutes until something changed. I don't know what it was, but something was different, and it wasn't good. I opened my eyes and looked around, but couldn't see anything from the ground. I looked at Edward. His eyes were closed, but from the set of his face I could tell he noticed it, too. He huffed and opened his eyes.

"You know, I was very comfortable until someone decided they wanted to do something stupid. Shall we find out?"

"Yeah. I don't like it, Edward. Something is seriously up. It's not good, either."

He got up and offered me his hand. I took it and we went to the edge of the clearing. We still couldn't see anything and I was getting really antsy.

"Why don't we split up and look around? We'll keep in touch and if we don't find anything, we'll meet back here." I asked.

It seemed only logical to look for the cause of the disturbance. If it was vamp related, it would have to be stopped anyway. I knew Edward wouldn't like the idea of splitting up, but it was the only way to cover ground more quickly. He was hesitating, as expected.

"Fine. But we are not staying out here forever. We'll search for ten minutes and then meet here. Got it?"

I gave him a mock salute and said "Sir, yes, sir!" in the most military-like tone I could manage. He cracked a small smile and we went off I opposite directions.

I ran as quietly as I could so I would still be able to hear for anything out of the ordinary. I scanned as I ran, but still didn't see anything. I was really getting frustrated now. I stopped and looked around me.

Nothing.

I walked at a normal pace for a minute and stopped dead in my tracks. I knew what was wrong now. I could smell it.

_Edward, I think I found what was wrong_, I thought as I continued to walk slowly forward.

_What? What is it?_

I broke through the line of trees and was blinded by the sight before me.

_Fire._

**A/N: Well? Tell me what you think! I need to know if I should continue! I have chapter 2 finished and half of chapter 3, as well. I'm not going to beg you for reviews, but I will give you a teaser from the next chapter if you do! (Sorry to any anonymous readers…Unless you feel like posting your email in your review-which I DO NOT recommend- I can't give you a teaser, but you WILL be my incentive for updating every week!) Don't forget: comments/suggestions/ideas/criticism/flames all welcome, but if you flame or criticize, please put in WHY (PM if you don't want everyone to see it).**

**So, as always, read and review!!! Make me be happy to be writing a sequel for you!**


	2. Fire

**A/N: Hey guys! Here's chapter 2! I promise I'll answer your reviews, but it won't be until tomorrow or late tonight. RELAY FOR LIFE!!! Woohoo! But it might rain!!! Boo Hoo!!!**

**Enjoy!**

_Fire_

**BPOV**

_Edward, this house is on fire!_

_Bella, don't go near it! It's not safe for us in there! Just wait. I'm on my way._

_Okay…_

I had all intentions of waiting for Edward to arrive before I did anything. At least, until something else caught my attention.

Human blood.

The scent was coming from inside the burning house, but it smelled a little different. I couldn't think of what it could be. I tried waiting for Edward, but the smell never went away. It only got stronger.

_Edward, I think there's someone in that house. I smell blood and it's not going away._

_Do you hear a heart beat?_

I listened for a second and heard it. A tiny heart beating so fast it was hard to recognize it as a beat.

_Yes, and it's really fast._

_Okay, wait. Don't go in, do you hear me? We'll figure something out once I get there. I'll only be two minutes._

I wrapped my arms around myself. Even being so close to a fire, I still felt a chill go down my spine at the thought of someone being caught in something like this and not being able to save themselves.

I heard a noise and tensed before I realized what it was. It was so faint…

That heart beat was from a baby. And that baby was crying.

I gasped and tried to think of something. I couldn't wait anymore. I couldn't leave that baby in a burning house while I waited for Edward to show up so we could make a plan. It would take too much time.

I ran around the outside of the house trying to find the safest way in and out. The last thing I needed was to get myself stuck in there, too.

The entire first floor was engulfed in super hot flames. The only way I could see to get in was through an open window. It was right next to the one I could hear the baby in. I crouched down and pushed off the ground as hard as I could and just managed to get myself through the window without having to pull my body in.

I got low on the ground to try to escape the searing smoke as much as I could. It wasn't dangerous like fire, but it still stung your eyes enough that it was hard to see. At the rate this fire was going, the house was likely to collapse soon. The lower floor wouldn't be able to take the pressure of the second for much longer.

I made my way to the hallway that connected the two rooms together. The next room was closed, so hopefully not a lot of smoke got in there. I reached for the doorknob and hissed. It was already too hot to touch. I looked around for something to wrap around it so I could get it open, but everything was starting to smolder. I made a quick decision and kicked the door with enough force to just open it. The sight I found in front of me was something I was sure I would never forget, not matter how long I lived.

There were two strange vampires in the room, huddled around a baby no more than one year old. It was still crying and they looked like they had been talking to it as I entered. There were two other bodies in the room, as well. One was a woman with long blond hair and the other was a man with short light brown hair. These were this child's parents. The tiny pools of blood told me all I needed to know.

Every piece of furniture in the room was demolished. The remains of the crib were strewn all over the room and what looked like a rocking chair was on its side with all the legs and both arms broken off. Pictures were either broken on the floor or still desperately clinging to the wall.

"Well, well," said the male vampire on my right. "Who do we have here? Have you come to join our fun?"

The other vamp paid no attention to me and ran her fingernail down the side of the baby's face. A thin line appeared and little drops of blood started to form. The baby kept crying and thrashing around on the floor.

"What are you doing here?" It was all I could get out. I had an idea, but I needed to make sure I was right. I really hoped I wasn't, but of course, fate gave me the opposite of what I asked.

"Well, we were hungry and came across this house. There was no one around to see us, so we took them." He thrust his head in the direction of the baby's parents. "Now we are trying to find out what to do with this one. It's a very hard decision. The blood of the innocent is so much better than that of a regular human. They seem to sour themselves as they grow older." He almost sounded remorseful.

"Leave." I said.

"Excuse me?" He slowly stood up from his crouch. He was looking amused now.

_Shit._

_Bella, where are you? I told you to wait outside!_ Edward yelled at me.

I tried to gather as much courage as I could. "I said leave." Luckily, my voice stayed steady.

He smiled evilly at me. "And why would I do that? I'm not done here."

_Bella, tell me where you are! Emmett and Jasper are here! I know you're in trouble!_

I sent him a quick image of my situation and heard him mentally gasp.

_Keep them talking, Bella. They are not going to get away with this. Don't close this line, either. I want to know what's going on so we can try to get that baby out safely._

He picked up the baby and set it in his lap. "They have such soft skin, babies. So easily bruised." He squeezed the child's arm until it cried louder. "Their bones are so soft, too. Much too fragile." I heard a sickening snap and the baby screamed in pain.

"Stop it! Just leave! My family is on their way. If they catch you here, they'll kill you."

_What?! What do you mean "if"? They were dead a long time ago!_

_Just playing it safe. Shush now._

"Oh, they will, will they? And who might this family of yours be?"

He put his hand behind the baby's head and slowly started to lift it up.

"The Cullens. They are right outside. If you don't leave now, they'll kill you as soon as you step foot out of this house." I couldn't take my eyes off the child. It was still crying with all it had and he slowly kept raising it closer it his face.

"So, what are my options? One, leave now and leave behind this darling little treat. Two, stay and have it and take the chance of your family catching and killing me. Or three, staying here and having my treat and knowing that when this house collapses and I burn to death that you are right here, too? Is that all?"

I felt my eyes go wide. I hadn't thought about that…

_Shit again…_

_It's okay, Bella. We're coming up, now._

_I hope you know what you're doing…_

"I think I like option three the best. At least my last meal will be worth it." He smiled evilly again and looked at his partner. "Would you like to share, my dear?"

She smiled as well and scooted closer to him. I didn't know what to do. If I moved, they'd probably just kill the baby. If I stayed where I was, they'd end up killing it anyway. And I didn't know how Edward was going to get us out of this mess.

The child was still crying like mad when he bit it, and somehow managed to scream louder once he did. I had to look away. It just wasn't fair. No matter what I did the child would have ended up dead.

I heard a loud crash and something flew past me. The next thing my body saw was the baby on the floor and there was a big hole in the wall. The female vamp was facing the hole but then turned around and hissed at me.

She jumped at me and I laid myself flat on the floor so that she missed. She just rolled and went at me again. This time she got me by the shoulders and we rolled across the floor. I got my hand around her neck and she had hers around mine. I grabbed at her face with my free hand and her grip slackened just enough. I ripped her hand off my neck and kicked her into the wall. Her head made a sickening crack when it hit and she fell to the floor. I knew she was still going to fight.

The room was starting to fill with smoke. I had to end this, and fast. I positioned myself so I was between her and the baby. It still hadn't stopped screaming. I glanced back and could tell immediately that the bite was changing it. And it was changing fast. I had to end this before that happened.

She stood up and shook her head. She snarled at me and we ran into each other with a loud crack. I grabbed her by the neck again, except this time I used both hands. We were wasting vital time. As we struggled against each other, I tried to send Edward a message.

_You need to get Carlisle here, and quick. There's not much time. This baby is changing._

_He's already here. Once we dispose of this one, we'll help you. He's a lot stronger than he looks._ His voice was strained.

_Please, just hurry…_

We continued our struggle, my hands still around her neck and slowly crushing it. Her hands were just flailing, trying to find some way to get me to loosen my grip. Not a minute later I felt her body being pulled against my grip and I knew the boys were here. I kept my hold and let them do the rest. Her arms came off together and I gave one final heave and her head went as well. I dropped to the floor and they took the body through the hole and outside.

"Bella, we need to hurry. There's still time to save him." Carlisle said. He was kneeling next to the baby and staring at me. I hadn't even heard him come in. I scrambled over and kneeled by his side.

"This child will not survive the life of a vampire at such a young age. You need to get the venom out."

"Wh-what?!" I stammered. What was he thinking! I was still a newborn myself! How could he expect me to do this?

"I know what you're thinking, Bella. And I think you can do this because of who you are. You have bonded with this child, whether you know it or not. That bond will help you do this, and so will your nature. You can do this, but you have to do it now."

I looked frantically between the child I wished to save and the man who put his complete faith in me to be able to do it. I looked down at the child and noticed something that made my decision clear. His small amount of hair was the same shade as that of the man I loved. At that moment I knew I would never be able to take this child's life.

I carefully lifted him into my arms. I tried to turn his head a little so he couldn't watch. I didn't even know if he would remember this, but I wasn't taking any chances.

I looked up at Carlisle, not knowing what to do now.

"His wrist, Bella. He's lost too much blood to go from the neck."

I nodded and took his unbroken arm gently into my hand. I turned it so the inside of his wrist was up and sighed.

"I'm sorry, baby," I whispered. I took one last look and bit him.

**A/N: I felt soooo bad for the baby when I was writing this! And then I read it over and I felt bad **_**again**_**! I feel so pathetic… Anyway, I'll post the next chapter in one week, unless you lovely readers give me a whole bunch of reviews. Then I'll post it sooner.**

**Review please!**


	3. Discovery and Declaration

**A/N: Hey! So, here is chapter 3. I have one thing to say before you start reading (if you bother to read AN's…). This chapter is being dedicated to a group of very special people. They are not friends, they are not just people in my family, they are the people who put their lives on the line every day to protect others. I don't want to give anything away, so I'll explain more at the bottom.**

**Enjoy!**

_Discovery and Declaration_

**BPOV**

"I'm sorry, baby," I whispered. I took one last look and bit him.

It was one of the best and worst moments of my life. It tasted so good. I didn't know if I'd be able to go back to just animals.

I mentally slapped myself. I was going to and I had to. I would not take another life to keep myself alive.

The only good thing was that I knew I was saving this child from a life I would not wish upon him at such a young age. He could barely walk and he was almost turned into a vampire.

I waited for Carlisle's signal to stop, mentally preparing myself to let go as soon as he said to. I didn't have to wait long. I felt a hand on my shoulder and his voice in my ear.

"You can stop now, Bella. He's going to be okay now." He said it so calmly, like it was the easiest thing in the world. But I guess to him it was, since he's done it so many times…

I tried to open my mouth, to pull back, but it was like I wasn't in control of my body. I started to panic and tried to think of things that would make me stop.

I let myself see quick flashes of everything that had happened before this. All of a sudden I let go and started coughing. I felt someone take him from me and I turned away, trying not to retch.

I remembered how much he looked like Edward and couldn't stand the fact that I was biting him. It was the only thing out of all the flashbacks that made me feel enough guilt for almost not being able to let go.

I felt someone kneel down next to me and start rubbing my back. I turned my head slightly and buried my head into Edward's chest. He picked me up bridal style and stood up. I felt him walk over to the hole in the wall and jump out. He landed on the ground gracefully and took a few steps away from the house. He sat down and put me on his lap. He wrapped one arm around me and put his other hand on the back of my head, slowly petting my hair.

"Bella, it's alright. You saved him, love. He's going to live and it's all because of you," he whispered in my ear.

It wasn't until that moment that I realized I was shaking. I was shaking because of what I had just done. That had been my first time taking human blood and my body was shaking from it.

He started rocking back and forth and just kept saying reassuring things to me.

Not too long after I felt myself slowly drifting off. The last thing I heard was Edward humming my lullaby.

**EPOV**

I felt Bella drift off to sleep about half way through her lullaby. I didn't stop, though. I gazed down at my wife's sleeping form and couldn't believe how lucky I had been to meet her. She continued to awe me in completely unexpected ways, and what she had just done was something I didn't know if I could do had I been in her situation.

I heard someone walk in our direction and kneel down next to me. From the smell of human blood now coming from two sources, I knew it had to be Carlisle.

"Son, we have to go. Firemen are en route and we cannot be here when they arrive." He sounded calm, but I could sense the worry in his tone.

I nodded my head and stopped rocking. I lifted Bella's face from my chest slightly and could tell she wouldn't wake up for a while. I started to get up with her and Carlisle kept talking.

"We were able to save a lot of the baby supplies from inside the house. Some clothes, bottles, formula, and such. There wasn't much else that could be saved."

I turned around and looked back at the house. I thought of something and turned to Carlisle.

"You know Bella will want that child to know who his real parents are, right?"

He nodded.

"Can you get Emmett to take her back home? I want to see if there's anything hidden away that's not too badly damaged."

I laid her carefully on the ground and turned back towards the house. I decided to start in the baby's room since that seemed the most likely place to find anything of sentimental value.

I ran over and jumped through the hole Emmett had made in the wall. I walked out into the hallway and the fire had just reached the top of the stairs. I didn't have long so I went back into the room.

The dressers were already starting to smolder. I looked in the closet, but there was nothing on the top shelf. The floor gave me what I was looking for.

There was a small cardboard box labeled _Family_ and I took it. I brought it over to the hole and put it on the ground. I looked around for any other places that could have something in it, but there was nothing. I did one last sweep of the room and saw something shine from the corner of my eye.

I walked over and noticed a very small chain on the floor. I picked it up and it had a dog tag on the end, the ones the soldiers wear. There was something barely readable on one side.

_Jayden St. John_.

I flipped it over, but there was nothing on the back.

_It must be the baby's…_

I walked slowly over to the man on the floor and saw a similar dog tag on a chain around his neck. He was dressed in camo pants and combat boots. His tag had a little symbol on it. An Army symbol.

_They killed a soldier…_

I stared, my eyes bulging out of my head as my hate for those two swelled. If they hadn't already been dead by now, I'd have gone ad killed them. I couldn't do anything for him now, but I silently promised both him and myself that I would never let anything happen to that little boy ever again. Not after what he had been through today. Not after all that Bella did to save him. He would not be harmed. I took the tag off his neck and put it on the same chain as the baby's.

I turned with the tags still in my hand and grabbed the box off the floor. I jumped to the ground and ran as fast as I could to the house. It only took me about two minutes to reach the clearing around it and I ran right up to the door.

I burst in and went straight up to my and Bella's room. I opened the door quietly and found her sleeping under the midnight blue covers. She still looked uncomfortable, even in her sleep. I put the box down by the door and walked over to the bed.

I set the chain down on the bedside table and laid next to her. She rolled and her head ended up resting on my chest and her hand was on my stomach. She sighed and her face seemed a little less drawn. A little smile played on my lips and I put my arms around her. I closed my eyes and sighed.

I don't know how long I laid with her, but some time later Carlisle knocked softly on the door. He stuck his head in and pushed the door open a little wider.

"How is she doing?" He asked wearily.

I looked down at the top of her head. I shook my head and looked back up.

"I don't know, Carlisle. I really don't. She relaxed a little when I first laid down and she hasn't moved since. I don't think she'll wake up for a while, though."

"Hmm. We have much to discuss when she does wake." He looked like he was thinking about something, but when he spoke next his tone was much softer. "She did good today, Edward. You have much to be proud of."

I smiled. "I'd have to say we all do. The family has rubbed off well on her."

He chuckled quietly. "Yes, I have to agree. There was no doubt in my mind that she would have trouble fitting in. She was too perfect for you not to."

I didn't know what to say. I kept smiling and looked down at Bella again. Slowly my smile disappeared as I remembered what I had found out.

"Carlisle, that man and woman those vamps killed, he was a soldier. He was in the army."

I saw my father's serene face slowly change into one of complete and irrefutable disgust. "How do you know this?" He practically growled.

"I was looking around for anything of the baby's family. I found that box," I nodded towards the one I had set down by the door, "and I found a dog tag." I took one arm from around Bella and picked up the chain on the table. He took it and scratched some of the soot off it.

"That one has to be the baby's. I found a similar one on the father. His has the army symbol on it."

He looked at me and seemed to know exactly what I planned to do already. He just nodded, handed the chain back, and walked out.

_Oh, and by the way, the baby will live. I'm sure Bella will be glad to hear that when she wakes up. We are keeping him in my and Esme's room until we know how Bella will react to him after what she did today. It will have caused a bond between the two, stronger than the one tey had before she saved him._

_I thought as much. Thank you, Carlisle._

I looked down at Bella's sleeping form again.

_We will raise this child with the help of our family. We will give him the life he should have had. He deserves that much at the very least. We will make sure his parents have nothing to worry about. Their child will be the happiest in the world, and I will make sure nothing happens to him, or to you, ever again. Nothing._

With that, I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

**A/N: So, I think by now you might have guessed what the dedication is. I decided to dedicate this chapter to all of the people fighting for their country, some of them losing their lives in the process. The section of Edward's thoughts right at the end is the dedication. I just thought it would be nice for those people who have had to deal with the loss of a loved one because of war. They shouldn't worry about their families at home. They will be taken care of and won't be alone.**

**On a brighter note, here is one last thing: I just posted a poll on my profile about a new story idea. I tried to fit as much of the summary as I could, but a few things were left out. I'm going to post the whole summary at the top of my profile page. Please read it and vote! If I don't know whether you will read it, I won't write it!**

**So, as usual, please read and review and check out my poll! ;p**


	4. Healing

**A/N: This chapter was a little hard to write. I had a fever when I wrote it, so if anything doesn't make sense, please let me know and I'll fix it. I also had a little writer's block…Oh, well.**

**Enjoy!**

_Healing_

**BPOV**

_Red eyes. All I could see was red eyes. Everything else was black. No matter where I turned, all I saw was those red eyes. There was nothing else anywhere._

_I started to panic. I was all alone. There was no one here to help me. My breathing kept coming faster. I didn't want to be alone. I kept looking for a sign, anything that meant someone was here with me._

_I saw something off in the distance. I started walking towards it. It looked like a box, maybe a T.V._

_What's going on?_

_It looked like something was playing on it… I got closer and my suspicion was confirmed. I couldn't tell what it was so I kept walking towards it. As I got closer, the images gradually got clearer. I got about ten feet from it and had to freeze._

_My face stared at me from out of the screen. I was sneering and my eyes were red. There were drops of blood going down my face from my mouth. I had fangs. I could smell the human scent coming from the blood. My breath caught in my throat. I turned around and there was another one behind me. Everywhere I turned there was another. I started gasping for breath._

_I turned around and screamed. This wasn't a screen. I wasn't sneering, either. This was just me, me with red eyes. I kept screaming._

_Bella! Someone yelled. They sounded so far away…_

_Bella, wake up! I felt someone grab my shoulders and shake me. I tried to open my eyes, but they were so heavy…_

_Bella, please! Wake up! It's just a dream! It's not real!_

_What…? It's not…_

My eyes shot open and Edward was standing above me, worry all over his face. I threw my arms around his neck and buried my face in his shirt. I was trembling all over.

"Thank God…" he sighed. 'Bella, it was just a dream. Everything's fine."

He sat on the bed and held me, just letting me let it out. After a few minutes, I stopped trembling so bad and was able to sit up a little.

"Edward-" I started, but he cut me off.

"Don't apologize, Bella. I understand. I know how much it scares you to think of yourself turning into that." His voice expressed his understanding, and I didn't doubt him.

"You saw?" I asked.

He nodded. "Your shield fell just as it started getting bad. I tried to wake you up sooner, but you wouldn't budge."

I laid my head on his chest and he wrapped his arms around me.

"Carlisle came in to check on you." I nodded. "You were fast asleep when I got back, so there wasn't much to tell him." He started rubbing circles on my back. I closed my eyes and sighed.

"He…told me…about the child." He shifted uncomfortably under me. He didn't seem to know how to go about this topic around me.

"What'd he say?" I mumbled, expecting to hear the worst.

"He's going to live. You saved him, Bella. He also said that I have a lot to be proud of."

My breath hitched in my throat. I felt a smile creep its way onto my face before I remembered the rest of what he said. I rolled onto my side and looked at him, confused. "Why did he say that?"

"Because it's true. I know of no vampire that could have done what you did yesterday. Especially since it was a baby. Any other vampire wouldn't have been able to stop. They may have wanted to try, but they probably wouldn't have been able to do it." He looked at me and smiled. I couldn't prevent the smile that came to my face at the sight of his.

I put my face back on his chest and he wrapped his arms back around me. "If I could blush, I'd be burning through your shirt right now."

I felt him laugh. "I don't doubt that for a second." He squeezed me and rubbed circles on my back again.

I lifted my head. "When-" I broke off and put my head back down.

"What, love?" His hand paused on my back. I just shook my head.

"Bella, what is it?" He raised my head so I was looking at him.

I hesitated, then sighed. "Do I…get to see him?"

He cupped my face in his hands. "You can see him whenever you think you are ready. Tell me and I'll go get Carlisle, okay?" I could see the sympathy in his eyes.

I nodded. "I- I want to see him."

He smiled and kissed my forehead. "Okay, let me go get Carlisle. I'll be right back." He kissed me and got up.

I sat on the edge of the bed and looked at the floor. I heard Carlisle and Edward come in and looked up. Edward was smiling at me and Carlisle looked slightly worried. He came over to the bed and sat next to me. He took my hands in his.

"Bella…I need to know if you're sure about this. We'll be in the room in case anything happens, but I don't want to put the child in any more danger than he has already been in. Are you sure you want to see him now?"

I nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. I- I just…want to see…that he's okay."

Carlisle nodded his understanding and stood up. "Okay. He's in our room." He offered me his hand and I took it. We walked down the hall and Edward took my other hand. I looked at him and smiled. The door was closed and I could hear him moving around. I looked at Carlisle in confusion.

"He must be waking up," he said with a shrug. Carlisle opened the door and he started crying. I flinched back and Edward took me in his arms.

"It's okay, Bella. He's just hungry and scared. I don't blame him, waking up in a strange place with nothing and no one familiar around." I nodded and slowly moved back towards the door.

I looked in and he was still crying. He had gotten up on one of his hands and his knees and was looking right at us. His little bronze head barely reached the top of the crib. He looked at us and he stopped when he looked at me. He sat down and reached out in my direction, still crying. His one arm was in a cast. It went from his elbow down to his hand, then between his thumb and index finger. I flinched slightly at the sight.

I slowly walked forward and he scooted his little body closer to the side of the crib. I heard Carlisle and Edward follow a little behind me, but I could already tell they wouldn't be needed. I put my hands on the edge of his crib and he reached up to me.

I reached one hand down and he latched onto three of my fingers. I smiled and reached down with my other hand. He tried to take that one, as well, but his cast made it too hard. This just made me smile bigger. I put my hand under his arm and he laid his on mine. He tried to pull himself up using my fingers so I lifted him until he was standing.

I released the little bit of pressure I had on his hand and he just squeezed my fingers tighter. I chuckled and he smiled at me. He reached up with his casted hand and laughed. I turned slightly and looked at Edward and Carlisle. They nodded and I turned back.

He was still standing there waiting for me to pick him up, a huge smile lighting up his small face. I laughed and he started laughing, too. I picked him up and he wrapped his arms around my neck. He buried his face in my neck and I leaned my head against him.

I turned around slowly to find everyone standing around the room smiling at me. Alice, Esme, and Rose looked like they wanted to cry. Carlisle looked relieved. Jasper and Emmett were just standing there smiling. Edward was absolutely beaming at me. He walked over and put his hand on my shoulder.

"His name is Jayden. Jayden St. John."

I lifted my head and turned to look at him. He lifted his head a little and stared at me.

I smiled. "Jayden," I whispered. "Little Jayden…"

He put his thumb in his mouth and laid his head on me so that he could still look at my face. He kept his good arm wrapped lightly around my neck. He tucked the other between his body and mine. I brought my hand to his face and wiped a stray tear off his cheek. He smiled and closed his eyes.

Everyone walked over and just looked at us. Edward wrapped his arms around me from behind and rested his chin on my free shoulder. Carlisle stepped forward a little, with Esme on his arm.

"I should have known I had nothing to worry about," Carlisle said quietly, a small smile on his tired face.

"No, it's fine. I'm glad you didn't want to take any chances." And I really was. I didn't know what I would have done if my reaction, or his, had been any different.

"Well, let's go downstairs. Those two are going to make you fall on the floor from their weight!" Esme said with a laugh.

I heard Edward chuckle in my ear and knew he got the hint. He kissed my cheek and let me go so we could head to the living room.

Edward and I sat in a loveseat. Esme and Carlisle took the other while Emmett, Rose, Alice, and Jasper took the couch.

"Now, as you may have expected, there are a lot of things that need to be cleared up. First is the question of whether we are going to keep this child."

I tensed and stared at Carlisle, wide eyed.

"What do you mean? We can't keep him? Where is he supposed to go? Carlisle, his parents are _dead_!-" I rambled on until he interrupted me.

"Shh, Bella. Calm down. It was only a question because I didn't know what was going to happen when you saw him again, and whether you and Edward were up to the responsibility of raising him. I see now that I had no reason to worry about whether a bond would have formed. I was sure one would, but not one hundred percent."

"Why does it sound like you're going to make us do this on our own?" I asked, still slightly panicky.

"You're not going to be alone. We are going to help you, but the child will end up being closest to you and, through you, Edward. The bond the two of you have will be recognized by the child, and he will accept him about as well as he does you. The rest of us he will know are not strangers, but he will have to make those bonds stronger in his own time."

I visibly relaxed. _I'm going to need anxiety meds after all of this…_

Edward laughed softly at this. _Why would you say that?_

_I've never had so many panic attacks in my entire life!_

This just made him laugh harder. _I'm sure Carlisle can get something to help a panicky vampire._

"What's so funny?" Emmett asked. "This is getting to be really annoying. I'm always being left out of conversations now!" He huffed and crossed his arms over his chest.

Edward and I laughed. He looked at me and I nodded my head.

"Bella was saying she's going to need anxiety meds after all of this is over," Edward said, still laughing a little.

"See? If you had said that out loud, I would have laughed! It's not funny when someone tells you outside the moment!" He huffed again and Rose laughed at him.

"You're such a baby sometimes."

"Hey!" I said. "Do you hear this one complaining?" I looked down at the sleeping form on my shoulder and back at Rose.

"Sorry, you're right. Emmett, you are _worse_ than a baby!" She smacked his arm and we all laughed.

I felt Jayden jerk and he lifted his head. He leaned back in my arms and looked at me, his face full of confusion.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Jayden. Did we wake you?" I asked.

He smiled and put his forehead against mine. I kissed his nose and he giggled loudly. I laughed and he put his face on my shoulder again. His arm never left my neck. I felt Edward jump a little next to me and looked at him over Jayden's head. He was looking at Jayden, who was facing him, with a shocked look on his face.

"What?" I asked him.

He shook his head and looked at me. "He- He just called you momma. He said 'My momma. My momma save me'."

I tensed up and Jayden leaned back again looking at me with a worried look on his face. He put both of his hands on my cheeks and just stared into my eyes. Then I heard something I never would have expected.

_Momma 'kay?_

My head spun to Carlisle, who just gave me a puzzled look. "Car- Carlisle, he just spoke to me. In my mind. How is that…_possible_?!"

He ran a hand through his hair. "I was hoping we had caught it in time," he said, almost to himself.

"Carlisle, what are you talking about?" I was starting to panic again.

He sighed. "What you are hearing is the side effect of a transformation that was on the verge of being unstoppable. He is still human, but he is more of a hybrid now. He will be able to do things that humans cannot do, things that vampires do. Sharing thoughts might not be the only thing he will be able to do. We will have to watch him closely. I will warn you now, Bella. There is a great possibility that his growth will be much faster than that of a human child. He has already grown somewhat since we brought him here a few hours ago. He will probably reach the same age you were when you changed and stop aging, just like a turned vampire. His growth could possibly be erratic. He might grow at a normal pace for a while, and then have a kind of 'growth spurt' every now and then."

_I can't believe this. After everything I did, he still might not have a normal life. He still won't be able to live a normal life!_

"Bella, calm down. We are just going to have to give him the best life we can under these circumstances. We have to work with what we've got." Edward tried to calm me, but it wasn't working.

"He won't be able to have a normal childhood! His human life will be cut so short before he stops aging! I can't believe this. It's so unfair!" I just kept going, except now it was out loud.

I felt Jayden's hands pushing my face back towards him. _Why momma sad? Momma make Jayden sad._ Sure enough, he pushed out a quivering bottom lip and I quickly got control of myself.

"I'm sorry, baby. It's nothing, okay? Don't worry about me." He let one tear fall and I wiped it away before it went past his nose. "Don't cry, baby. It's okay."

_Momma 'kay?_

"Yeah, I'm okay." I hugged his little body to me and he wrapped his arms tightly around my neck. I rubbed little circles on his back to try and calm him down. I heard him sniff once and he fell asleep again.

Somewhere during that time Esme, Alice and Emmett ended up huddled together in the middle of the floor watching this. Each one of them had eyes rimmed in red from unshed tears. They were sniffing loudly and each had a tissue in their hand. They just sat there and stared.

I laughed and I felt Edward put his arm around my shoulders. "Well, I don't think we have anything to worry about. He only seems worried about Bella." Edward chuckled. "I guess that's less I have to do." I glared at him before turning back to Carlisle.

"I'd have to agree. We can't change anything, so our main priority should be to keep him happy."

I nodded my head in agreement. I really didn't have a choice in the matter, so that's the best I'd get.

"Edward, why don't you help me put the crib in your room so she can get this exhausted child to bed?" Esme asked, getting off the floor. "Oh, Bella dear, that was the most touching thing I have ever seen!" And with that she gave one final sniff made her way upstairs. Edward chuckled. He kissed me and followed his mother to her room. I looked back down at the baby in my arms.

_You're going to be fine, huh, baby? Nothing is going to happen to you. I'll get over my nightmare and your wounds will heal, and then we'll be a big happy family. All of us. You will be the happiest baby in the world, with the best family a child could wish for. We will heal. Together._

**A/N: Well, there was Chapter 4. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I tried to make Bella and Jayden's relationship as obvious and immediate as I could. If you feel something could be changed to make it more, let me know and I'll see if I can make it fit.**

**As always, if you have any ideas for where this story could go, let me know in a review or PM. I really love hearing from you guys, but not many of you are reviewing! The most reviews I got for one chapter was 3! Yes, 3! And I got 5 alert and favs messages with them! Why couldn't you guys review, as well?! You should know that I'll post the next chapter faster if I get more reviews! I guess you must not like this very much… ********.**

**Well, for those of you who do, review, please! I'll send you a teaser this time! And don't forget about the poll! ;p**


	5. Bonding

**A/N: Hey! I know this chapter is a little early, but I'm going away this weekend and won't have internet, or the chance, to update. So thank camping because that's where I'm going!**

**One last thing before I let you read: I would like to thank the five, yes, that's right, FIVE people who voted on my poll and the THREE people that actually reviewed the last chapter. So, thank you, DrangonRider250, animal8, and I-Am-A-KLuTZ for reviewing. (the last one doesn't count…it's my little sister…)**

**The poll is still open and will continue to be so until the end of this story, so go vote! And reviews still make me happy, so don't forget them, either! Especially if you want the next one up sooner than next Saturday!**

**Enjoy! ;p**

_Bonding_

**EPOV**

I walked up the stairs with Esme, listening as Bella made a promise to Jayden and herself I her thoughts. Just like I had made one.

_You're going to be fine, huh, baby? Nothing is going to happen to you. I'll get over my nightmare and your wounds will heal, and then we'll be a big happy family. All of us. You will be the happiest baby in the world, with the best family a child could wish for. We will heal. Together._

She was such an amazing woman. She was so strong, stronger than anyone I have ever met. She cared so much about others that she had almost no regard for herself. She woke up and the first thing she wanted to know was how Jayden was. And then she didn't want to make him upset so she tried to make herself look happy for him. I sighed.

Jayden.

He seemed to make Bella come alive again. She looked so happy when he accepted her, showed her that he didn't hate her for what she did. He was like her in that sense. He cared and forgave.

"Edward! Hello in there! Sweetie, you can't help if you're not paying attention!" Esme said, a smile on her face. We had reached her room and I was standing next to the crib looking like an idiot.

"Sorry, Esme. By the way, why did you need me to help you? The crib's not heavy, especially for us." I gave her a confused look.

"Carlisle wanted me to talk to you about Bella. He wants you to know that if you ever see her acting strange around the baby to let him know immediately. He's just worried about this bond. He's never seen anything like it and he just wants to make sure nothing goes wrong. It's nothing bad, just precautionary. Now bring this into your room. You didn't think _I'd_ carry it, did you?" she finished with a small laugh.

I laughed, too. It was just like Esme and Carlisle. I really appreciated their caution concerning Jayden. I knew they'd take to him just as we did. They always enjoyed a new addition.

I lifted the crib and easily maneuvered it into our room from theirs. I set it down at the edge of the bed. I could move it to where Bella wanted it when she came up. I had a feeling it wouldn't be use much, though. Jayden never wanted to let go of Bella, and she seemed to feel the same way. I really didn't care if he slept on the bed. It was up to Bella.

I walked back downstairs to find Bella asleep again, with Jayden asleep in her arms. His little arm was still around her neck, even though his grip was a lot looser than it had been. He had had a little death grip on her when she first held him, not that she had noticed.

Everyone else had moved into the kitchen. I kissed Bella on the head and then kissed Jayden. He sighed in contentment and I smiled. I went into the kitchen and everyone was lost in their own thoughts. I didn't even bother reading their minds. I knew what the topic would be. Alice came over and wrapped her arms around my waist.

"Oh, I'm so happy for you and Bella. He's just so sweet! I want to play with him tomorrow! Is that okay?" she asked hastily.

"I don't see why not. Just don't be disappointed if he doesn't want to jump right into your arms. You saw what he went through. It might take him a few days to get used to so many new people."

She laughed quietly. "Wow, Edward! You sound like a dad already!"

My breath hitched as she said that word. _Dad?_

_Yes, Edward. Dad. Don't sound like you didn't see this coming! If I'm supposed to be his mother, what would that make you, my dear husband?_

I turned to find Bella in the doorway with a smirk on her face. Jayden was still sleeping in her arms with his arm, as has come to be expected, wrapped around her neck. He was still smiling slightly.

I walked over and hugged her, mindful of Jayden's arm still between him and Bella. I kissed her forehead and turned back to everyone, one arm still around her waist.

"Geez, Bella! You're really going to need those girl's day out's now!" Alice was jumping up and down at the thought.

"What makes you say that?" She leaned into me. I could tell that she was still really tired.

"Now you have _two_ guys to deal with! It'll be great! Jayden can stay with daddy-poo, Jasper, Emmett, and Carlisle while we take a shopping day!"

"Don't even start with the nicknames, Alice," I growled. That was the last thing I needed…

Bella groaned. "The last thing I want to think about right now is shopping. But if you really want, _you_ can go shopping for his clothes tomorrow. Just don't buy too many. We don't know how long he will fit in them."

"THANK YOU, BELLA! YOU WON'T REGRET IT! I'll get all the clothes he need, and then some a little big so they'll last…" She walked away as she continued talking. Jasper sent us an apologetic look and hurried after her.

We all started to laugh at her antics and Jayden gave a little jolt before lifting his head. He looked around confused. His green-eyed gaze met mine and he leaned his head to one side.

_What funny?_

I shook my head, trying to stop my laughter. "It's nothing, Jayden. I'm sorry we woke you again."

_What so loud? Make big boom sound._

I couldn't help but start laughing it this. Emmett looked around at everyone else. They were all looking at me like I had gone insane.

"…Edward…why are you laughing?" Bella asked, confusion and worry all over her face.

I pointed at Jayden, who had an extremely large smile on his face. He started jumping in Bella's arms and giggling. He turned to Bella and asked her his question. Her face filled with understanding and amusement.

"Baby, it was that one over there." She pointed at Emmett, who still had no idea what was going on.

Jayden turned to look at who she was pointing at and his eyes got huge.

_Whoa. Big man make big noise?_

He turned back to me and Bella. "Yup. He woke you up with his loudness," Bella said.

Emmett just kept looking around the entire time. "What's going on?!" He yelled, exasperated.

Jayden's hands flew to his ears and he put his head on Bella's shoulder.

_Owowowowow. Big man loud._

"Shut up! Stop yelling, Emmett!" I said.

"What? I just want to know what's so funny! I can't hear what you guys are saying!" He was starting to whine.

"He just asked who made all the loud noise and we said you. And then he said you were a big man and we started laughing," Bella answered calmly, rubbing Jayden's back.

"Why is he doing that?" Emmett asked.

"Because you're a loudmouth that doesn't know when to be quiet," I said.

"Oh, no! I hurt him?" Emmett's face crumpled. "I didn't mean to! Is he okay?" He looked over at Jayden, who was still lying against Bella with his hands over his ears.

I gently took his hand away from his ear. "Jayden, it's okay now. He's not going to yell anymore. You can take your hands away."

He turned his head and looked at me with one eye. _Sure?_

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure. He didn't mean it. He doesn't know how loud he is, sometimes." He nodded and took his hands away. He raised his head and looked at Emmett.

_Why he look sad?_ He turned and looked at me expectantly.

"He thinks he hurt you and it made him sad." He looked back at Emmett and cocked his head to the side.

_No, no hurt. Just loud._ He continued to look at Emmett, waiting for a reaction. He turned to me again. _Why he no say nothing?_

"He can't hear you, Jayden. Only Bella and I can hear you." He looked shocked when I said this.

_Bewa,_ he pointed at Bella, _and you._ He pointed at me. Then he turned to Emmett again._ No him? Big man no hear me? Why?_

"We don't know. You want to try to talk to him?" Bella looked at me.

_Do you think he can?_

_I honestly have no idea, but it's worth a shot._ She nodded.

Jayden put his casted hand on his hip and the other under his chin. He looked like he was thinking. He put his hand down and looked back and forth between me and Bella.

_He no hurt me?_ I shook my head. He looked like he was thinking again and then nodded his head. _Yes. I want to talk to big man._

Bella smiled. "His name is Emmett, okay baby? Not 'big man'."

He nodded his head. _Yup. Okay, momma._ I saw Bella tense and relax a little. She must not have gotten used to him calling her that, yet. _Can I talk to Emm…Emmett now?_

She laughed. "Yes, you can try to talk to Emmett now." Emmett just stared at her. "He wants to try to talk to you. He doesn't understand why only Edward and I can hear him."

Emmett smiled. "You want to talk to me? Wow, I didn't think he'd like me after I hurt him."

"Come on. Let's go in the living room," I said and we all headed out of the kitchen.

**BPOV**

I couldn't believe Jayden. Even after Emmett hurt him by being so loud, he still wanted to try to talk to him. We headed into the living room and sat in the same spots we were in before, minus Alice and Jasper. Esme and Carlisle seemed to be watching what was going on with a lot of interest. They hadn't said much, but there was a lot we didn't understand just yet, so their silence was understandable.

I sat down and turned Jayden so he was facing everyone else. He looked up into my face and I smiled. He laughed and I kissed his nose. That just made him laugh harder. He seemed to have a stronger body than normal one year olds, but I guess that was just another side affect, like the telepathy. He was able to keep himself up without falling over all the time, which was a relief. Carlisle already told me this could happen, but his mind was much more advanced, as well.

He looked over at Emmett and back at me. _Emmett?_ Very perceptive child…

"Yup, that's Emmett. Do you want to try to walk to him?" I asked. I didn't want to push him, but it would give us a range of how far ahead he was.

He gasped and smiled at me. _Yesyesyesyesyes! Walk walk walk!_ He started trying to hop up and down but he leaned too far to one side. He started to fall over and I wrapped my arm around his waist. I set him back on his feet and he started laughing.

_Momma save me 'gain! I wuve my momma!_ He wrapped his little arms around my legs and kept laughing.

My eyes teared up when he said that. "I love you, too, Jay. I won't let you get hurt."

_Big man, momma! Wha' 'bout the big man?_

I laughed. "Okay, let's walk to Emmett. Are you ready?"

He raised his little fists in the air. _Yes!_

Edward started laughing next to me. "He gets very excited, doesn't he?"

Jayden looked at him. _Yes!_

We started laughing all over again. "Alright, let's go," I said. He took one finger from my hands in his fists. He looked up at me, waiting for me to stand up. "You want me to go with you?"

I nodded his head. _Yes!_

"Okay." I stood up. "Let's go see Uncle Emmett." I stood up behind him and he looked down at his feet. He lifted one and tried to put it out in front of him. It landed almost exactly where it had been.

"Bella, why don't you let him lean forward a little? It might make getting his legs out easier," Edward said from the love seat.

"Um, alright. Let's try that." I brought my hands out in front of him and he tried again. He got his leg farther out and was able to take a step. He started laughing again, and I couldn't help but do the same.

"That's so good! Come on, don't stop now!" He took another step, and then another. He was only a few steps away from Emmett.

"Emmett, lean down so he can try it without holding onto me."

"Are you sure, Bella? I don't want to hurt him again." His face fell at his mention of the incident in the kitchen.

"I'm sure Emmett. He's doing this so he can try to talk to you. Stop worrying so much." He leaned down so one of his knees was on the floor. He stretched out his arms a little and Jayden looked up at me.

"Go ahead, baby. It's alright."

He smiled up at me and his grip loosened a little bit. He took one step forward and his grip loosened some more. He let go of my right hand and stretched his towards Emmett's. He took another step and he was barely holding onto my hand anymore. He took another and let go. I moved back onto the couch and Edward wrapped his arm around my shoulders. He stood there looking at his feet and then looked up at Emmett. He moved one foot in front of him and then moved the other. He took two more steps before he started to fall over again.

Emmett reached forward and gently took his hands before he fell too far. "Good job, little man. You almost made it!" he said.

Jayden started laughing. He looked out at Emmett and tried to grab his face. "Hey, there. None of that. Come here." He picked him up and set him on his lap. Jayden grabbed a fistful of Emmett's shirt and looked up at him again.

"So, did you have something to tell me, Jayden?" Jayden nodded his head enthusiastically. He reached his arms up towards Emmett and he lowered his head down. Jayden put his hands on Emmett's face and stared at him.

_Why you sad before?_

Emmett just sat there looking at him, waiting for something to happen. Jayden turned and looked at me.

_Why he no say nothin' still?_ Jayden looked confused and sad.

"He didn't hear you, baby. Try again." He nodded and turned back to Emmett.

_Why you no hear me? Momma and daddy hear me. Listen!_

I felt Edward chuckle. "He's very persistent."

I laughed. "Yes. He might end up being quite the handful." Jayden kept repeating himself, trying to get Emmett to hear him. Emmett just looked confused.

I sat there, praying that something would happen. It would disappoint Jayden not to be able to talk to the others…

"Whoa! What was that?!" Emmett gasped. "Was that him?" He pointed down at Jayden who was currently jumping up and down on his lap. He looked absolutely ecstatic.

_Yesyesyes! Emmett hear me!_ Jayden clapped his hands. _Yeah!_

Edward and I laughed. Emmett jumped. "Yup, I guess it was…"

"He talked to you?" Carlisle asked. He looked confused and amazed at the same time. "He must be able to make his own bonds… I knew he'd be able to make one with Edward, but I never imagined he'd be able to talk to the rest of us with his mind…"

"Yeah, I felt a little spark and he was talking in my head. It was weird."

"A spark? That must have been the bond forming. He was forcing it to happen. It must have caused the spark as a kind of side effect…"

Jayden looked over at me and Edward. _Why he use big words?_ He looked over at Rosalie. _Lady, why he use big words? I no get it._ He put on a pout and Rose looked like she was going to melt.

"That's just the way he is, little one. He's really smart, so he knows what all of those words mean," she crooned. She leaned into Emmett's shoulder and Jayden stared at her.

_Pretty!…Pretty lady!_ He turned to me. _Momma, who pretty lady?_

"That's Auntie Rosalie. Can you talk to her, too?"

He nodded his head and turned back to Rose. _Yes, I talk to pretty lady. Rosa…we?_

"You can call me Rose, honey." He started laughing again and reached over to Rose. She looked at me and I nodded, giving her permission. She took him from Emmett and stood him up on her lap. He grabbed her fingers and leaned from side to side, just laughing.

"Oh, he is just adorable! I'm so happy you and Edward found him, Bella. It's so nice to have someone new in the house!" Esme said. She looked at Jayden like she would her own child. It made me happy to know everyone was accepting him.

Jayden looked over at Esme and turned his head to the side. _Nice lady. Momma, who nice lady next to big-word man?_

I got up and walked over to him and Rose. I raised my arms to him and he took my hands. I picked him put and walked over to Esme and Carlisle. I sat on the floor in front of them with him in my lap. I pointed to Esme.

"Jayden, this is Esme. And this," I pointed to Carlisle, "is Carlisle. They are Edward, Emmett, and Rose's mom and dad."

He looked back and forth between Esme and Carlisle. _Nice lady Esme, big-word man Carwile._ He looked up at me. _Yes?_

I kissed his nose and he laughed again. "Yes, that's right." He reached up and Esme took him onto her lap. He looked at Esme like he wanted to ask her something.

"What is it, Jayden?" Esme asked, concern in her voice.

_I hungy._ He looked down and poked his stomach. _Food?_

"Alright, baby. We'll get you food. Carlisle, where is the food you got from his house?" Esme asked.

"It's in the kitchen. Jasper put it somewhere. I'm not exactly sure where, though."

"Okay, you go to Bella and I'll get you food. Do you think he'll still take formula, or should we try baby food?" she asked Carlisle as she handed Jayden back to me. He wrapped one arm around my neck again and I stood up. I walked back over to the love seat and sat down. Edward wrapped his arm back around my shoulders and I rested my head on him.

_Momma tired?_

I smiled. "Yeah, it's been a long day." I took his casted hand and kissed it. "Does your arm feel okay?"

He looked at his arm and turned it. _Don't no. No move it._

"Does it hurt when you lift it?" Edward asked.

He raised it up and down. _No, no hurt._

Edward looked down at me. "We'll have to let Carlisle look at it tomorrow. He might be able to take it off already." I nodded.

Esme came back out of the kitchen. "Bella, we don't have much to choose from at the moment, but we _do_ have some baby food. Do you think he'll eat that until we go shopping?"

"Sure. If we don't have anything else, he'll have to. I'm sure he won't mind until I can get to the store." Jayden's head whipped between me and Esme, trying to follow who was talking.

_Store? Buy food?_

I smiled again. "Yup. We've got to get more food to fill that belly." I tickled him and his face scrunched up in laughter. "Come on. Let's see what Esme found for you."

I got up and Edward followed. We went into the kitchen and there were a few bottles on the counter and some jars of various baby foods. I set him down on the counter and he looked at them.

"So, which one do you want?" I asked him. He kept looking back and forth and pointed to a blue bottle.

_Dat one!_ He started clapping his hands. I reached over and gave it to him. He took it and immediately stuck it in his mouth. He sighed and leaned against me. I picked him up and he put his head on my shoulder with his arm still around my neck.

"Carlisle, why does he do that with his arm?" Edward asked. I actually wanted to know, too, but I didn't care enough to ask.

"I don't know. It must be a security thing for him, like a blanket except it's Bella." Carlisle had a confused look on his face. It wasn't often that he didn't know something, and Jayden was like a living mystery to him.

_Bewa, Bewa, Bewa. Momma, momma, momma._ He took the bottle out of his mouth and yawned.

"Are _you_ tired now, baby?" I asked. I could tell that he was. His eyes were drooping and the bottle was slipping out of his hand. He nodded his head and the bottle fell. Edward caught it and put it back on the counter. I looked over at the clock and realized he should have been in bed a while ago. It was already eleven o'clock at night. It was almost impossible to believe we had found Jayden only a few hours before.

_Yeah…Sleepy._ He yawned again and I smiled.

"Sorry, guys. It looks like it's time for bed." I smiled apologetically. Emmett looked upset. "Don't worry, Emmett. He's not going anywhere but upstairs." He nodded. I looked down at Jayden. "Do you want to say goodnight?" He brought his head up a little and smiled.

'_Night…Sleepy…_ He looked at me. _Bed now?_ I nodded. He sighed and laid his head back down on my shoulder.

"Goodnight everyone. We'll see you tomorrow." I turned and walked up the stairs to our room, Edward right behind me. I walked in and sat down on the bed. Edward sat down next to me. He rubbed Jayden's back and looked at me.

"Do you want to change? You're still covered in soot." He smiled at me. I looked down and realized for the first time since I woke up that I was in the same clothes I had gone hunting in just that morning.

"Yeah, would you mind taking him?" He shook his head and stretched his arms out. "Jayden, go to Edward, okay? I have to change." He didn't even open his eyes. He just took his arm from around my neck and reached toward where he thought Edward was.

_Daddy…Momma says you take me now._

Edward chuckled and took him from me. I walked to the closet and grabbed any shirt and pants. I went into the bathroom and hopped in the shower, letting the water run over me. I got out after a short time and put on the clothes I had grabbed. I walked out of the bathroom and saw the cutest sight I had ever imagined.

Edward was lying on his back on the bed and Jayden was curled up against his chest in the middle of the bed. Edward's arm was around him so he couldn't move. Both of them were so deeply asleep that they didn't hear me come in. I walked over to the bed and placed a kiss on each of their foreheads. I laid down next to them and turned so I was facing them. I put my arm over them both so that my hand was on Edward's chest and they sighed at the same time. I smiled and closed my eyes, being happier than I had ever imagined I could.

**A/N: Sorry to those of you that don't like long chapters, but there was no good place to end this one. All I can say is that I hope you enjoyed it! There was a lot going on in this chapter, so if you didn't get something, feel free to ask about it in a PM or a review! And if you have any ideas for this story, let me know!**

**Thank you for reading, now let's review and not forget about that poll!**


	6. A Day of Play

**A/N: Hey guys! You made me soooooooo happy! I actually got 5 reviews for one chapter! I know it's not a lot, but don't ruin the moment please! And since you made me so happy, this chapter is dedicated to those 5 reviewers:**

**DragonRider250, Cokey90, animal8, AllApologies451994, and I-Am-A-KLuTZ**

**So, here is chapter 6! And you know what that means! More Jayden! ;p**

**Enjoy!**

_A Day of Play_

**BPOV**

The next morning, I woke up to one of the sweetest voices I've ever heard. Not even the sun shining and the birds singing outside my window could have made me happier to wake up after such an exhausting day.

_Momma! Momma, wake up! Wake up! I hungy!_ Jayden said. I guess he's a morning person, because he sounded wide awake.

_Yeah, momma! He's hungy and daddy is useless! Don't let him starve!_ Edward added. He, on the other hand, sounded like he was still dreaming.

I opened my eyes to Jayden sitting on Edward's chest with Edward's hands keeping him from falling. He was slapping his chest with one hand, then the other, and back again. I looked at Edward and he had his arm thrown across his eyes. He turned to me and had a pleading look in his eyes.

I laughed and stretched. Jayden started hopping up and down, still on Edward's chest.

_Yay! Momma up! I eat now!_ He looked down at Edward, who had moved his arm away from his face. _You no get up. Bad daddy._ This just made me laugh harder.

"Okay, okay. I'm up. You can stop bouncing on that bad daddy of yours, now." I sat up and noticed Edward had drifted into his own world. I could tell he still hadn't gotten used to Jayden calling him dad yet. I leaned over and lightly kissed his lips. He jumped and I laughed for the third time that morning.

"Time to get up, daddy. We need to get Jayden food." I kissed him again, but he made this one last longer. I smiled against him.

_Momma, don't eat daddy's face! He need it to make me food!_ He actually sounded serious, making Edward and I break apart in laughter.

"It's okay, baby. Daddy still has his face. But what about you?" I smiled and grabbed him off Edward's chest. I repeatedly kissed his face and he squealed.

_No! No! No! Momma, stop! I need my face, too! No eat my face!_

I put him back down on the bed with one final kiss to the forehead. I looked him over and noticed his cast was gone.

"Edward, who took his cast off?"

"Carlisle came in before you woke up. He said his arm was fine now and took it off. He doesn't need it anymore." He looked at Jayden, who was leaning back against his side. "He also said he grew a little during the night. He'll probably be able to walk with no problem, now." He looked back up at me, waiting to see my reaction.

"There's nothing we can do to slow it down, is there?" I asked sadly.

"No, but it's not like he's going to be a teenager by the end of the week. He said that should have been the biggest growth spurt he's going to have. He should grow more slowly now." He tried to make me feel better by saying this, but I still felt bad.

"It's like his childhood is being taken away from him."

_Momma, why you sad? Now I hungy _and_ sad…_ He looked down and pouted. I reached down and picked him up. He wrapped his arms around my neck and laid his head on my shoulder.

"It's okay, baby. It's nothing for you to worry about. Don't be sad." I heard him sniff and looked down at Edward. He smiled sadly at me and got up. He came around to where I was standing and rubbed Jayden's back.

"Momma's okay, Jayden. But we need to get you food, remember?" He raised his head a little and nodded.

We made our way downstairs and went into the kitchen. Edward went to the fridge and pulled out another bottle and a jar of baby food.

I set Jayden down on the counter and Edward set the food next to him. Jayden bounced up and down and clapped his hands as he looked at his selection. He grabbed the bottle and put it in his mouth. Edward walked behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. He rested his chin on my shoulder and sighed.

"You know, he kind of reminds me of Jasper with the change of emotions. And then Alice with the energy."

"I know what you mean. Speaking of, where are they all? I thought they'd be up by now," I asked. I had expected Alice to pester me about shopping for new clothes for Jayden, so to find the house empty of her has a relief.

"She, Esme, and Rose dragged the others shopping. They wanted to stock the fridge and get his clothes early so they could spend that promised time with him later. As a matter of fact, they are pulling in as we speak." He kissed my neck and sighed again.

"Alice?" I asked.

"How did you guess?" he said sarcastically.

I laughed and Jayden smiled, the bottle still in his mouth. Milk dripped off his chin and I smiled. I wiped off his face and sighed. Ah, the joys of parenting.

The door opened and Alice came bounding in. Everyone else followed. Emmett, Jasper, and Carlisle looked like they were about to collapse. Their arms were laden with bags from various stores.

"Edward, let Bella go and help empty the cars," Alice said, coming over to stand by me. "Those three are going to need all the help they can get. They're _so_ slow!"

He kissed my neck again and reluctantly let me go. He walked out with the others, leaving me with Alice, Esme, and Rose. Alice turned to Jayden and he jumped slightly. He looked slightly scared of her.

"Hey, cutie! You're finally awake! Mommy and daddy are being nice to you, right?" She placed her hand on her hip and leaned against the counter.

Jayden nodded his head quickly and turned to me. I was leaning on the counter on his other side and he grabbed my shirt in is little fist. He leaned his head against me and held his bottle with the other hand. I looked down at him.

_What's the matter, baby? Why are you being shy?_

He looked up at me and pointed at Alice. He had the most serious look on his face and I couldn't help but smile.

_Tiny lady scawy! She got spiky haiw!_

This made me laugh. Alice looked at me like I had lost it.

_It's okay, baby. She's not going to hurt you. She's mommy's friend. She just has a lot of energy, just like you!_ I poked him in the stomach and he laughed, the bottle coming out of his mouth with a loud _'pop'_.

He stuck the bottle back in his mouth and turned back to Alice. He held out the hand he had been holding my shirt with and she just stared at it before he waved it at her with slight impatience.

She took his small hand in hers and smiled. "I'm your auntie Alice! I'm your mommy's bestest friend! Can we be friends, too?"

Jayden smiled and moved their hands up and down.

_Yessss!_ He dragged out the "s" at the end and I laughed. They would definitely be a handful together.

"Hey! I heard him! Jazzy, come here!" She yelled.

The guys were coming in with the last load of bags and set them down. Jasper walked over and stood behind Alice, his blonde head towering over her. Jayden looked up…and up, and up until his green eyes fell Jazz's topaz ones. His mouth was in a small "o."

_Woooow… Momma, he tall!_ He turned to me and his eyes were huge. He spread his arms out as wide as he could and I laughed.

I looked up and Jazz cocked an eyebrow at me. I help up one finger and looked back down at Jayden, who was back to staring up at Jasper.

"Jayden, Jasper wants to know what you said. Do you want to tell him?" He nodded his head repeatedly without breaking his gaze. "Are you going to tell him?"

He blinked and held out his hand to Jasper, no longer in his staring daze. Jasper walked over slowly and reached out to Jayden's hand. He gently took it into his own and Jayden smiled. He put his bottle down on the counter and put that hand over Jasper's, as well. He shook their hands up and down like he did Alice's.

_Jasper very tall. I look up, up, up befo I sees you! You is big._

Jasper smiled and Jayden let go of his hand. Carlisle walked over and Jayden started bouncing up and down again.

_Momma! Momma, while you was seepin' Carwile, he took dat hard tingy off my awm and he changed me and he told me I was getting big! I is growin' and is a big boy! He says I can walk today and we is goin' to pway outside in the yawd and we is goin' to have fun aw day! Wight, Carwile?_

The entire time he was talking to me his little arms were animating what he was saying. When he mentioned Carlisle, he pointed to him and then to his arm where the cast had been and then he spread his arms wide again. When he said "walk" he kicked his legs out from the counter and pointed at them and then he started bouncing when he mentioned the plans for today. Everyone was smiling after watching his conversation.

"Yes, that's right, Jayden. You are growing fast. You look like you are two or three instead of one." He looked at me and knew that part was meant for my ears. Apparently he didn't think we'd have much time to talk about it later.

This made him start bouncing all over again. Everyone started laughing.

"Wow, Bella! He's always moving! You might have a hard time keeping track of this one!" Emmett said through his laughter.

"Yes. He's quite the little character, isn't he?" Esme put in. Jayden just sat there looking at me and swinging his legs back and forth.

"HE'S SO CUTE!" Alice squealed. Jayden jumped and shook his head before he resumed swinging his legs.

_Um, momma? Your fwend is loud. She make my ears make that ringy noise._

I laughed. "Yes, she is. Now, are you done with your food or do you want to try this other one?"

_I is aw done,_ he said. He was smiling and looking at all the people around him.

Edward dumped the rest of the bottle and put the jar back in the fridge. He walked over and wrapped his arms around me.

"We are going to put the food away. Why don't you go look through the new clothes and get ready for this fun day we are going to have?"

Jayden threw up his hands and yelled, _FUN! Funfunfunfunfun! I want to have fun wiff _evwyone_!_

We all laughed and I picked him up. "Come on, you little ball of energy. We are going to go get dressed so we can go outside and play."

He threw up his hands again, almost hitting Edward in the face. _Yay! Play! I wanna play!_

"We'd better hurry up and get dressed then, huh? And we've got to make sure daddy gets dressed, too."

He pointed at Edward. _Daddy, get dwessed so we can pway!_

We all laughed again and I took Jayden upstairs. I took him into our room and stopped in the doorway. There were shopping bags taking up one whole corner of the room. All of them had different clothing line logos on the side.

I couldn't believe this. Alice had gone completely overboard. There was no way all of these were going to fit him for very long.

"Don't even start to complain. They are not all the same size. And anything he doesn't wear we can always return and get a bigger size of." Alice had popped up behind me and put her hands on her hips. She gave me a shove into the room. "Now, get dressed already! Edward's on his way up."

I shut the door and set Jayden down. He took my hand and we walked over to the pile of bags. I watched Jayden as he walked and he barely even wobbled anymore. Carlisle was right. His body wasn't that of a one year old anymore.

"Now, let's see here…Where is your size…"

I looked in the front bags and they seemed to go up in size as I went farther in. The front row of bags was all his current size. I pulled the clothes out of the first bag and found it was actually just one set. She had put each outfit in its own bag. That made me feel better about how many bags there were. Now I knew each bag wasn't stuffed with multiple outfits and knew she hadn't gone as overboard as I had first thought.

"Okay, Jayden, pick one of these bags that has clothes in it that you want to wear and I'll help you put it on."

'_Kay. Any one?_

"Yup. You can take them all out if you want, just don't mix them up. Alice would have to match them all up again!"

I walked over to my closet and found another Alice-inspired surprise. She had taken all of my clothes, and I mean _all_ of them. None of the clothes currently in my closet had been there before. I just sighed and took out a light blue shirt and pants.

I looked over to see how Jayden was doing and laughed. He had tried to dress himself, but had gotten caught trying to take off his shirt. His elbows had somehow gotten into the sleeves and he was currently struggling to get them out. Only half of his face was visible, the other half was in his shirt. I threw my clothes on the bed and walked over to him.

"Jayden, do you want help? It looks like you're stuck!" I laughed again as he tried to nod his head. I pulled his arm down, bringing his elbow out of the sleeve and then did the same with the other. I pulled his shirt the rest of the way over his head and he sighed.

_That hard, momma. Vewy, vewy hard._ He looked down at his feet. I put my hand under his chin and raised his face so that he was looking at me.

"Don't be sad, baby. It's okay. It'll get easier as you get bigger. Plus, that's why I'm here. I help you when you get stuck." He smiled and raised his arms to me.

I picked him up and hugged him. I picked up the clothes he had had near him and walked over to the bed. I set him down and put my hands on my hips.

"So, should we get you dressed, now?" He smiled and nodded. I picked up the new shirt and out it on him. It was a red polo with three buttons that came down from the collar. His pants were little jeans with pockets all over the legs. I took off his sweatpants and switched them with the jeans. He sat on the edge of the bed swinging his legs again, laughing every time the jeans rubbed together and made that "scuff" sound.

"Okay, Jayden. Now mommy has to get ready. You stay right there, okay? Daddy should be up any time now."

I picked up my clothes and went into the bathroom. I changed and walked back out just as Edward walked in. Jayden raised his arms and smiled.

_Daddy! Daddy here! You gotta get dwessed so we can pway!_

Edward laughed and walked over to me. I kissed him lightly and gave him a stern look.

"You'd better get ready before he starts yelling at you! You know he really wants to play with everyone!" He smiled and kissed me again before going over to his closet.

I looked over at Jayden. He had gone back to swinging his legs and laughing at the sound of his jeans. I laughed and walked over to him. I sat down on the bed next to him and he looked up at me. He pointed down at his jeans.

_Day make funny noises._

I laughed again and hugged him to me. He wrapped his arms as far as he could around me. I felt another pair of arms wrap around us from behind me and a pair of lips pressed against my neck. I turned to see Edward's eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Can I join in on this hug, or is it a private event?" His breath on my neck made me shiver. I looked down at Jayden and cocked my head to the side, letting him see where Edward was.

"Should we let daddy hug us, or should we tell him to go away?" His brow furrowed in thought. He looked up at me.

_Is daddy dwessed to pway outside?_

I looked back at Edward and raised an eyebrow. He smiled. "Yes, Jayden. I'm all ready to play."

Jayden smiled. _Daddy can hug, too!_ We laughed as Jayden tried desperately to wrap his arms around both of us with Edward still behind me. Edward moved to my side and we hugged Jayden between us. All three of us stayed like that and laughed until we heard Alice yelling at us from outside the window.

"Come on! I want to play with Jayden and I can't do that if you two are hogging him!" she yelled. Edward and I laughed and Jayden squealed. His head whipped this way and that, looking for where Alice's voice was coming from.

_Momma, where is she? She here?_

"She's outside waiting for you, baby. Want to go now?" Edward asked him, his arm around my waist. Jayden eagerly nodded his head and Edward helped me off the bed. Each of us took one of Jayden's hands and swung him off the bed and onto the floor. He laughed.

Edward let go and walked over to the window. He looked back at us and smiled before he jumped out. Jayden screamed and tried to pull me over to the window.

_Daddy! Momma, why he do that? He dead now, too?_ He looked up at me and was on the verge of tears.

"He's fine, baby. He didn't die. He's just being a big meanie. Look," I picked him up and he looked out the window. He put his hands on the windowsill and looked straight down.

Edward was standing where he had landed with the others around him. He was fine, just like I knew he would be. I looked down at Jayden and he looked very mad. He pointed at Edward and spoke his first word.

"Bad!"

All of us looked at him, shocked. We were all silent and Jayden just kept pointing at Edward. All of a sudden, we all started cracking up. Alice, Emmett, and Edward ended up rolling on the ground. Rose, Carlisle, and Esme were holding onto each other, trying to stay on their feet. I was still holding Jayden in my laughter and grabbed the window to keep myself from ending up on the floor with him.

After a while, Jayden turned around and looked at me, slightly confused.

"What so funny?" My laughter slowed and I set him on the floor.

"You are, baby. You spoke your first word and it was telling your daddy that he is bad. We thought it was funny." Realization dawned in his eyes and he giggled. I looked at him suspiciously.

"Have you been able to talk for a while now?" He looked down and shrugged. He looked back up at me and smiled.

"I no know. I no try 'till daddy jumpeded out da window!" As he spoke, his arms swooped in the direction of the widow and his eyes still held shock. I laughed lightly and picked him up again.

"Do you want to go out the window, too?" He stared at me like I was crazy, his mouth forming a small "o".

"Huh?" His brows were furrowed in confusion.

"Mommy can jump out the window just like daddy. It won't hurt and it will be faster than going _all the way downstairs and outside_ before you can play." He looked like he was thinking for a moment before he nodded his head eagerly.

"Okay, but you have to know that you can only do this if you are with me or daddy. Understand? I don't want you to start jumping out of windows any time you're near one, okay?" He nodded again and I walked over to the window. I looked down at him again. He wrapped his arms tightly around my neck.

"Are you ready? You've got to hold on tight!" He nodded again and I jumped.

He tucked his head into my neck and screamed the whole way down, even a few seconds after I had landed. He cut a scream short and looked up. He looked around and then looked at me. He smiled shyly and hugged my neck. I laughed and set him down. He held onto my hand and turned to the others. Alice walked over and knelt in front of him.

"So, are you ready to play? I have a surprise for you!" She clapped her hands together and smiled at him.

"Yes! I want to pway!" He looked up at me. "Come on, momma! We gonna pway!" He tugged on my hand until I followed him.

We started walking towards the back of the house when Edward took my hand. I looked at him and he kissed me quickly. He wrapped his arm around my waist and I leaned into him as we walked. Alice had taken Jayden's other hand and they were currently chatting about what they were going to play.

We walked around the house and Jayden abruptly stopped. I looked down at him and he had that surprised look on his face again. I looked ahead of us and it was not hard to determine what had caught his attention.

There was a huge jungle gym in the middle of the backyard. It had three different slides attached to it and each was a different color. There were different ways to get onto the main part of it all over. Stairs, ramps, climbing bars, and a mini rock wall surrounded the structure. Monkey bars, bridges, crawling tubes, anything his little heart could imagine was a part of this surprise.

Jayden's grip on my hand tightened and I looked down at him. He looked like he was about to cry.

"Is this my supwise, momma?" I looked over at Alice and she nodded her head.

"Yeah, baby this is your surprise. Everyone bought it for you and set it up so you could play on it with them."

He let go of my and Alice's hands and wiped the tears out of his eyes. He sniffed once before turning to face the others.

"Tank you, evyone. I weawy wuve it. Can we pway now?" Everyone laughed and walked towards the gym.

Jayden was trying to run, so he, Alice, and I were ahead of the others. He walked us right over to the stairs and climbed up on the first one. He reached the top before Alice and I followed. He ran over to the first slide and looked at me.

"Come on, momma! Swide down wiff me!"

I laughed and picked him up before sitting down with him on my lap. I positioned myself on the slide and pushed off. We quickly got to the bottom, but my feet never touched the ground. Two arms were holding me and we were being spun around. Once he had gotten me properly dizzy and made Jayden squeal loud enough to give me a headache, Edward set me down. He kept one arm around my waist so I wouldn't fall and laughed as Jayden jumped up and down in my arms.

"Dat was fun! Again! Again!" He clapped his hands together and we laughed.

"Baby, why don't you go play with Alice? Remember she yelled at mommy and daddy 'cause she wanted to play with you?" He nodded and I set him on the ground.

He took off running and ended up crashing right into Alice. He laughed and raised his arms to her. She put him on her back and ran around in circles before going back on the jungle gym.

I wanted to yell at Alice for spending the large amount of money this thing had to cost, but I looked at Jayden's face and knew I never would. He looked so happy I knew I wouldn't say a word. I sighed and Edward wrapped his arms around me. He kissed my neck and I leaned back against him.

"You know, it feels like he's been here forever. Like it hasn't been just two days since we brought him home." I felt him nodded and sighed again.

"I know what you mean. Between you and him, I think these are the most exciting years we've had in a long time. I guess we owe you a thank you. Living forever can get a little repetitive, but you two seem to keep things interesting," he said, his breath on my neck making me shiver.

"Is that a compliment?" I asked slyly.

"Yes, I guess it is." He kissed my neck again and we sat on the ground, watching our adoptive child have the best day of his life with his adoptive family.

He ran around and they pretended they couldn't catch him. Then someone would, and they would fall to the ground, letting him get away again. This continued on until everyone ended up rolling on the ground laughing when Emmett tried to chase Jayden onto the jungle gym and got stuck on a slide. His massive shoulders just wouldn't let him slide down easily. Edward, Jasper, and Carlisle ended up pulling him out without hurting the slide, but it took a lot of maneuvering on Emmett's part.

This is how the entire day went. Jayden would be chased and then chase his former chasers. Then they would take him on the gym and he would hang on their back as they ran, swung, or climbed. He never seemed to tire of the games, and neither did they. Esme and Carlisle came over and sat with Edward and me after Emmett's rescue and we sat in peaceful silence until he brought up something I was waiting to hear an update on.

"I know you are worried about his growth, Bella, and I just want to let you know that he seems to have stopped at the age of four. He finished what I expect to be his biggest growth, so he should stay this size for a while. He should grow at a normal rate for now, but I want to keep checking him, maybe once a week or so." I nodded and sighed. It relieved me to know that he wouldn't be a teenager by tomorrow, and I was happy with how he was at that moment. He was at that carefree age where the world is his to play in, and I couldn't have been happier with where he stopped.

"But there is something you should know. He _will_ reach an age where he will stop growing, just like you did when you were changed. Because that is exactly what is happening to him. You stopped his immediate change, but what is speeding up his growth is one that is slower and not as painful. Actually, it doesn't seem to be painful at all. I've watched him and he doesn't eat as much as a child should. He doesn't get hungry as often. He also slept a lot more than I expected him to the day after it happened. Today will mark his third day here and he seems to have come alive, just like we do. He also has an immense amount of energy, again like a new-born vampire. I know you don't want to hear that, but by the time his body reaches his mid-teens, he will most likely stop growing all together. I'm sorry."

I shook my head. "I don't know what it is, but for some reason, hearing that doesn't seem to bother me as much as it would have before. It's like seeing him so happy with this family, I just can't be upset. Hearing that he's going to be just like us and he'll be able to live forever with his family…I can't make myself be unhappy about that anymore." Carlisle smiled and nodded.

Edward hugged me tighter and I turned to him. I kissed him and he immediately responded. We broke apart slightly and he leaned his forehead into mine.

"Does that mean _you_ are happy here, too?" I laughed and shook my head.

"I don't think I could ever be happier." I kissed him again and put my head on his shoulder.

I looked around and noticed that Emmett and Jasper had collapsed on the ground, panting. Rose was sitting on a slide leaning against the side and panting, as well. Alice was chasing Jayden until she dropped, as well. He had tired out four full grown vampires and still had energy to spare.

I was in trouble if he wasn't tired yet.

He walked over to where Edward and I were sitting and plopped himself on the ground next to me. He looked up and I could see that he was tired, too. I breathed a mental sigh of relief and smiled at him.

"So, did you have fun playing with everyone today?" He leaned into my side and I draped my arm around him. He nodded and yawned. "Are you hungry now?" He nodded again and I laughed.

I picked him up and he wrapped his arm around my neck. All of us made our way back into the house. Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie went right into the living room and collapsed on the couch, somehow managing to not sit on each other. Carlisle, Esme, and Edward followed me into the kitchen. I used my free hand to get the bread and some cold meats out of the fridge and set them on the counter. Esme took over making his sandwich and Edward got him a plate.

I set Jayden down on the counter again, but he didn't let go. Instead he moved his arms to my waist and leaned against me as he tried to stay awake. Esme cut up his sandwich and set it down next to him. He took one of the pieces and chewed it eagerly. He finished that piece and one more before he started to slow down. The whole time he kept his head against me and at least one hand clinging to my shirt. He finished the piece he hand in his hand and wrapped his arms around me again.

Esme ran a hand through his hair before throwing out the rest of the food. I smiled at her and picked Jayden up, his arm immediately going to its resting place around my neck. He started to snore softly and we laughed. I mouthed a "thank you" to them and they shooed us upstairs. I took Edward's hand and went up to our room.

I laid Jayden down at the edge of the bed and changed him into a pair of pajamas. Edward had changed into his pajama pants and laid down with him so I could change. I grabbed a pair of sweats and a shirt from my closet and changed in the bathroom.

I walked out and put my clothes in the hamper. I laid down next to Edward and Jayden squirmed his way into the position he had been in the night before. I turned on my side and Jayden sighed. I kissed Edward and draped my arm over them again, before falling into a deep sleep next to two of the eight most important people in my life. I didn't sound spoiled at all…

**A/N: So, I hope you liked it! I know I had a lot of fun writing it! And if you liked it, too, I love hearing from you!**

**Review! And my poll is still up! So far, it looks like you guys would read it, so as soon as I wrap this one up, that will be my priority! ;p**


	7. Past Meets Present

**A/N: Hey guys! **_**Attention all Fate Brought Us Together**_** fans! As you may have heard, I'm taking over the story from Quidditch Player-Seeker (formerly Eclipse1901). I'm sorry that she couldn't finish it herself, but I hate seeing a good story be dropped…I hope I do it justice!**

**Well, I hope you enjoy!**

_Past Meets Present_

**EPOV**

I had never seen Bella as happy as she has been since Jayden came into our lives. She looks at him and I never have to worry about her losing her control. I know, as well as everyone else, that she would never hurt him. She couldn't if she tried. None of us could.

I woke up the morning after our play day to Bella's sleeping form and Jayden tucked safely between us. Her hair fell over her shoulder and partially covered her face. Jayden was laying on his back, his face towards Bella. He had my fingers in his little fist and it didn't feel like I could get them out without waking him. The front of Bella's shirt was in his other fist. I couldn't help but smile. He didn't want to take a chance of either of us going anywhere without him.

I just laid there for a while, watching my wife and son sleep without worry. It was the most beautiful sight. They were just so peaceful…

Jayden yawned and rolled over in my direction, never letting go of either of us. His eyes slowly opened and he smiled at me. I smiled back and kissed his hand. He looked over his shoulder at Bella and turned back to me.

_Momma still sweepin'?_ I nodded and he nodded back. He pointed at his stomach and I nodded again.

I got out of bed and picked him up. I took a pair of pants and a shirt for each of us and went into the bathroom. I set the clothes on the counter and set Jayden down next to them. He raised his arms and I took his shirt off. I put the clean one on him and stood him up to put his jeans on him. He put his hands on my shoulders to steady himself.

_I got stuck in my shirt yestaday. I twied to get it off aw by mysef 'n got stuck. Momma had to hewp me._

He showed me the memory and I laughed quietly. I buttoned his pants over his briefs and kissed his forehead before setting him back down on the counter. I changed into clean clothes and put the dirty ones in the hamper. I picked Jayden up again and he wrapped his arm loosely around my neck, just like he does to Bella. I looked at him and he hugged me around my neck. I smiled and took him downstairs.

"So, what do you want for breakfast? Cereal sound good?" He nodded and I set him down on a chair at the table.

I got a bowl and a box of cereal and brought it over to the table. I got the milk out of the fridge and grabbed a spoon from the drawer. I poured cereal in the bowl and added some milk before setting it down in front of him. I handed him the spoon and he ate while I put the milk back in the fridge. I sat down next to him and just watched him eat. I nearly jumped when I heard a voice behind me.

"I think congrads are in order. You still remember how to make cereal!" Bella's arms wrapped around my neck and she kissed my cheek. I turned toward her and kissed her. She smiled against me, but didn't pull away. Eventually we pulled apart and she sat on my lap. She leaned her head on my shoulder and sighed. I wrapped my arms around her and just enjoyed her presence.

Jayden finished his breakfast just as we heard loud footsteps make their way down the stairs. Bella gave me a quick kiss before getting up and taking Jayden's bowl to the sink. Emmett walked in and sat down next to Jayden.

"Hey, little man! You sleep good, or did momma and daddy keep you up?" he asked, ruffling Jayden's hair. He just smiled at Emmett and shook his head. I gave Emmett an exasperated look and he shrugged. Rose walked behind him and whacked the back of his head.

"Ow! Rose, what was that for?!" Emmett whined. He tried to look like a kicked puppy, but it didn't work well.

"You, making a dirty comment in front of a child! I can't believe you would even _think_ they would do anything like that with Jayden in the room, not to mention the fact that he _sleeps_ in the same _bed_ with them!" She didn't yell, but she definitely got her point across to him.

"Oh, yeah! I completely forgot! I'm sorry, Rosie." Emmett bowed his head and looked up at Rose through his eyelashes. I looked at Jayden and he looked back at me.

"He acts like more of a kid than you do," I said. He nodded and looked back at Emmett. Rose had just kissed him and he was looking satisfied with himself.

Bella sat back down on my lap, wrapping her arm around my neck. She kissed me again and sighed. Jayden turned in his seat and looked at Bella.

"Momma, are we gonna pway again? Dat was so fun! Can we?" She smiled and laughed lightly.

"I think you'll have to ask everyone when they wake up. I don't mind if you want to play outside again." He beamed at her before turning to Rose and Emmett. They looked at each other and shrugged.

"I thought it was fun. I don't think I've ever collapsed from exhaustion since I was changed. I wouldn't mind playing with you again." Emmett nodded in agreement and Jayden started bouncing on his chair.

Alice, Jasper, Carlisle, and Esme made their way into the kitchen, Jasper rubbing his eyes with the heel of his hand and Alice skipping over to the only empty chair left at the table. Jayden turned to them, still bouncing up and down. Alice looked at him, then at Bella and me, and back to Jayden. She pointed in his direction and shielded her mouth from his view.

"What did you feed him?" she whispered. We laughed and just shook our heads.

"It's not the food that's got him this way." I looked at Jayden. "Do you have something you want to ask, Jayden?" He nodded his head and turned back to Alice and Jasper.

He raised his arms above his head and yelled, "I wanna pway again!" Alice inhaled sharply and her eyes bugged.

"Oh, that was _so_ fun! I'll play with you again!" Alice clapped her hands together and Jasper rolled his eyes. Jayden gave him, Carlisle, and Esme the puppy dog eyes and they seemed to melt before my eyes. He seemed to see it, too.

"Yay! We gonna pway again! Yay, yay, yay!" He jumped off the chair and started running around the table.

All of us started to laugh, and just laughed harder when Emmett snatched him up mid-run and he started screaming. Emmett threw him gently over his shoulder and ran out the back door. We all got up and followed. We stopped on the back porch and watched as Emmett took laps around the yard, Jayden still screaming and yelling at him to put him down. Alice and Rose ran down after him, tickling Jayden whenever Emmett slowed down. Jasper joined in when Alice literally dragged him to the jungle gym.

Bella, Carlisle, Esme, and I sat down and watched again, playing when Jayden called to us. The whole day was spent playing with Jayden, or watching the others play with him. It was completely amazing how much energy the kid had. It was completely obvious when the others got tired, but he never seemed to stop.

It was late afternoon when everyone collapsed again. Rose managed to be the last one standing this time. Jayden stopped running and looked around, putting his hands on his hips. He scowled at the collapsed figures and walked over to where we were sitting. Esme and Carlisle had gone inside.

"Momma, why day all on dag wound?" He had a sad look on his face.

"You tired them all out, baby. You have more energy than they do, so you can play longer." Bella smiled at him.

He turned slightly and crossed his arms over his chest. He was looking towards the forest when he gasped. His head whipped back to us.

"Momma, daddy, I wanna pick dose flowas ova dere! And den I can give one to evyone so dey not mad 'bout fallin' on da gwound so tired!" He raised his arms above his head and smiled like he had found the cure to a disease. I knew she wasn't going to say no to that face.

"Alright, baby. But come right back, okay?" Bella said. I smiled at my prediction. I guess Alice was starting to rub off after all these years…

Jayden nodded and ran to the edge of the forest. It was a little bit of a distance, but I didn't sense anything so I laid back on the ground. Bella laid down next to me and put her head on my chest. I stroked her hair and she sighed.

I just laid there, relaxed, listening to Jayden try to pull the flowers out of the ground. I started to drift off until I no longer felt Bella on me. Then I heard the scream.

**BPOV**

I was relaxed, laying on Edward, until something changed. I felt his mind slowly drifting and knew he probably didn't even notice. But I did.

I jumped to my feet and ran at full speed to where Jayden had been when I heard him scream. It was coming from a little deeper I the woods than I thought he would go, especially alone, and I followed it. I was slowing down, trying to calm myself so I could get my bearings, when something slammed into me and I was thrown back against a tree. Before I could move, I felt something sharp go into each of my arms, restraining me. I closed my eyes and hissed at the pain…

_What?!_ My eyes shot open and I frantically looked around. Nothing should be able…

_Oh, no…_ I remembered Edward telling me, not long after I had been changed, that we were not completely invincible. That there was only one other creature that could harm us besides our own kind.

_Werewolves._

I leaned forward as much as I could without doing more damage than they were already doing to my arms. Through my hair, I saw that there was a light brown werewolf clinging to my left arm and a grey one on my right. When I looked at them they seemed to smile at me, but it might have been my imagination.

My attention was drawn back in front of me when three more werewolves emerged from the bushes, followed by a boy about my human age with short black hair and russet skin. I heard Jayden scream again and he was pulled out of the bushes behind the boy. I tried frantically to get them to release their hold, but I just hurt myself more. He smiled at me and I suppressed a growl.

"Hmm, what do we have here? A vampire coming from the same direction as a child? Is that a coincidence or more along the lines of what I think it is? A hunt, maybe?" I did growl then, and Jayden whipped around. His eyes widened when he saw me and he tried to run over, but the boy kept him back. Jayden tried to pry the boy's hand off his wrist, but he wasn't strong enough.

"Lemme go, you big meanie! Why you hurt her? She no do nothin' to you!" He was still trying to pull himself from the boy's grasp when he started laughing.

_Bella!_ Edward's mind screamed at me, but I couldn't let him get close. Jayden was still in harm's way.

_Stay back somewhat, Edward. That kid's got Jayden._ I heard his growl through his mind, but knew he wouldn't move.

"No, it hasn't done anything to _me_, but it _was_ going to do something to _you_." Jayden just scowled up at him and kept up his effort to get away.

"Would you stop that? Just stand still. We'll be leaving soon enough." He should have kept _that_ little piece of information to himself.

Jayden started screaming and punching him as hard as he could, repeating "no, I'm not goin'!" over and over again. The boy grabbed his wrists and started pulling him back into the forest.

"Rip it apart."

_No!_

_Stay, Edward! Get Jayden as they leave._ He wanted to get me, but I could tell he would do this. He felt the same about Jayden as I did.

Jayden turned back and looked at me desperately, tears spilling over his cheeks. I thrashed around, but their hold on me was too good. I felt sobs build up in my chest as he dragged my baby away. I gasped and cried out as the pulling on my arms increased.

"I'm sorry, baby." I felt tears I couldn't shed build up in my eyes. My arms were slowly being pulled from my body. I screamed as something tore in my upper arms.

"_Momma_! No! Lemme go! _Momma_!" Jayden screamed. A dry sob ripped from my chest and I hung my head, unable to watch him take my happiness away from me. I didn't even notice the lack of footsteps after Jayden's outburst until someone started talking. The pressure suddenly stopped increasing, but it didn't lessen. Something else felt like it was about to snap and I was gasping from the pain.

"What did you just call it?" the boy asked quietly, surprise breaking his voice.

"Dat's- my momma," he said through his crying. There was no response, so I lifted my head enough to see that the boy was frozen, staring at Jayden like he didn't believe what he had just been told. His head turned to me slightly and the back to Jayden.

"You think that _vampire_ is your _mother_? It's a _monster_! You don't remember what happened to your mom and dad, do you? Did it brainwash you or something?" He grabbed Jayden's shoulder and shook him lightly. Jayden shook his head and looked at me.

"She save me. I was gonna die, just like my first momma and daddy, but she save me." His eyes teared up again. He turned back to the boy. "Dose meanie vampiwes took my first momma and daddy, but you not taken her or my other daddy away! You no take me away neither!" He started fighting his hold again, still to no avail. The kid looked down at Jayden, confusion written all over his face. All of a sudden his face twisted in anger.

"Do you not understand, you little brat? _She is a vampire!_ She is the same monster that killed your parents! How do you know _she_ didn't kill them?" I snarled at him when he said that and the werewolves pulled harder on my arms, the others moving slightly closer.

That part of my arm that was about to snap let go at that moment and I tried to hold in my scream. My head dropped down as the pain continued to wrack my body. Jayden turned to me, tears still cascading down his small face. He slowly turned back and looked the kid right in the eye.

"I _know_ she didn't kill dem. I 'member evythin' dat happened. You don't know. I wuved my momma and my daddy, and I wuve _dis_ momma and daddy, too. Day would neva hurt me or anyone! 'Cept maybe you. You make dem hurt momma. Daddy no gonna like dat." He spoke quietly, but the emotions in his words screamed at him.

"You really believe that, don't you? That they didn't hurt you or your parents." the kid asked him quietly, like the truth of Jayden's words was finally sinking in. Jayden nodded his head frantically, wiping his tears away with his free arm.

"Daddy and da others helped get rid of da bad ones. Da mean man one, he bited me right here and momma got da stuff out. Carwile, he said to momma dat I'm gonna be like her and daddy and da others when I stop growin'. It was too late to get aw of it out, but it will just happen swower for me." Jayden- he almost sounded…_excited_ by the end of his explanation.

I was still gasping for breath with my head down when I heard steps coming towards me. I saw a hand reaching towards my face and flinched away, growling at him. The two wolves pulled back on my arms again, and I heard a faint ripping sound under my screaming. I threw my head back against the tree and looked up, trying to catch my unneeded breath.

"Tell dem to stop dat! Dey is hurtin' her!" Jayden yelled.

"If she attacks me, they are going to make sure she dies. If she stopped making so much noise, they wouldn't hurt her." He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. I felt a tiny hand on my ankle.

"Momma?" I let my head fall down and saw Jayden. I smiled as best I could, but I knew he could see right through it. He smiled back, pityingly, and pointed at the kid standing next to him.

"Momma, he say you got to be quiet and dey won't hurt you no more. Okay?" I just smiled again and he turned back to the boy. The boy grabbed my face and turned it to him. My hair was covering most of my face, but I couldn't move it out of the way. I growled quietly at him and he sneered.

"Is what he said true, vampire? Is he changing?" I didn't say anything and he shook me roughly.

"Answer me, vampire!" he yelled in my face and the tension in my arms increased slightly. I shook my face from his grasp and growled louder.

"Yes," I spat. He actually looked shocked for a moment before the sneer was back.

He let go of Jayden's wrist and brushed my hair away from my face. It took all of my will not to bite his hand off. He looked confused for a second when he could actually see all of my face, a flash of possible recognition crossing his features. He went to grab Jayden again, but he wasn't there. He looked back and forth as I breathed a sigh of relief.

"How can you call _us_ monsters when _you_ are the one using torture to get your answers? Ever think of just _asking_ like a civilized being?" a velvet voice sneered sarcastically. The boy's head whipped around to the opening I had come through and I slowly turned my head, my eyelids drooping slightly.

Edward was standing there, with Jayden in his arms. And he was furious. His eyes were smoldering and his rage radiated off him in waves. He looked like it was taking everything he had not to rip the boy to pieces, along with all the other wolves, all by himself. Jayden had his face buried in Edward's neck and his body was trembling. His mind screamed his fear and I could hear him crying softly, mumbling incoherently. Edward's hand was on his back, keeping him in place as he moved.

The wolves that had been inching their way towards me every time I moved suddenly changed direction. All three of them started walking towards Edward, growling and snarling threateningly at him. The ones holding me didn't budge. Edward's eyes narrowed and he bared his teeth, growling right back. He moved into a defensive crouch, turning so that Jayden was somewhat behind him. The wolves just kept coming, smug looks on their hairy faces.

There was a sudden blur and Alice appeared next to Edward, taking an offensive stance. A strange sound erupted out of the wolves at the appearance of her tiny form, sounding almost like laughter. Alice snared at them and took a step forward. They immediately went back to growling and snarling, but they didn't seem to have as much heart as before.

Rosalie's angry form popped up on Edward's other side, evening the numbers. She was followed soon after by the most furious Esme and Carlisle I have ever seen. Their faces were twisted with so much rage that they actually scared me. They took positions slightly behind Alice and Rose, who had moved slightly in front of Edward, shielding him and Jayden.

I felt the wolves holding me tense up at the appearance of so many vampires, causing them to bite harder than they were. They seemed to be the youngest in the group, and tried to back themselves up away from the battle lines, pulling on my arms as they drew back. I screamed as a few more things snapped, ripped, and popped in my arms before they realized what they were doing. I was gasping all over again, thinking it could only be my muscles pulling apart and away from my bones since my arms were still attached. The wolves didn't loosen up at all.

"Bella!" Edward yelled. The others never took their eyes off the wolves, but I saw them falter out of the corner of my eye. The kid's head whipped around to me, shock filling his eyes.

I leaned my head back against the tree again and closed my eyes, trying to get my breath back, before turning back to Edward's worried and furious face. I tried to smile, but he saw right through it. He turned back to the wolves, growling and snarling more than ever. Jayden kept his face in Edward's neck, still trembling from fright. I saw Edward rubbing his thumb on Jayden's back, trying to soothe him however slightly, but it was no use.

The wolves kept approaching. Even with fewer numbers, they were larger than my family in size. That is, until Emmett appeared behind the boy who was still staring at me and tightly wrapped his arms around him. Jasper showed up at that same moment, except he crouched in front of Edward, Alice and Rose. He looked like he was having slight trouble with everyone's emotions, but was able to control them at that moment. He seemed to focus their rage into his own. He seemed to have a fire in his eyes.

The wolves holding me yelped, but didn't pull back any farther. The others froze in place before two turned to the boy. They seemed to sigh in defeat as they took in his predicament. The middle one phased back to his human form, his clothes taking on the pattern that had been in his fur. He couldn't have been more than seventeen. He looked straight at Emmett and spoke.

"You let him go and we'll let her go," he said pointing in my direction. His voice quavered just a bit as he mentioned me. Emmett laughed darkly.

"You seem to think you are in a position to bargain," Jasper said, menace leaking from him.

He went deeper into his crouch, getting ready to spring if need be. His face looked like pure evil, his eyes completely black with a dark sneer just making him scarier. The boy looked like he was going to wet himself.

Emmett was still holding the other one, who was struggling to break free with all he was worth. I saw Edward stand up a little, along with Carlisle, and hand Jayden to Rose. He and Carlisle stepped up to either side of Jasper and looked at the failed negotiator. Jayden latched on to Rose just like he did to Edward. She took him and stepped back to where Edward had been. Edward and Carlisle slowly walked forward until they were within a few feet of the wolves, then stopped. Edward spoke.

"We will take your deal, but you must explain your business here. As far as we are concerned, you have none." His voice has bitter and he sounded like he just wanted to attack them and get it over with.

He motioned to Emmett to drop the boy and looked expectantly at the one in front of him. He nodded to Edward and did the same to the wolves in front of him. They backed off towards the woods, but never turned around. He then motioned to the ones holding me, and I felt them lower me slowly to the ground.

They got me sitting and gently lowered my arms into my lap. I leaned my head against the tree and closed my eyes, only focused on breathing. I felt my arms slowly start to heal themselves and sighed. Someone took my face in their hands and rubbed their thumbs across my cheeks. I opened my eyes and smiled at Edward. He smiled back and kissed my forehead, then kissed me quickly before picking me up. I leaned my head on his chest and relaxed my body against him.

He turned back to the kids and gestured for them to follow him back to the house. They looked wary, but followed anyway. He walked over to where everyone else was and they stood up, still not trusting the wolves, but not about to attack like they had been. They ran ahead of us and Edward took off, the wind blowing my hair out behind him.

We reached the clearing around the house and Edward slowed to a walk. It looked like everyone else had gone inside. The wolves burst out of the woods and stopped. They looked around as they walked slowly towards us. The one in the front morphed back and turned out to be the kid that had restrained Jayden. The rest followed suit. There turned out to be five guys and one girl with a very sour look on her face. They all looked to be of Native American background, with dark hair and tanned skin.

We walked into the house and went into the living room, where everyone else had moved the kitchen chairs and stools. Everyone took a seat and Edward sat down on the loveseat, with me on his lap. I closed my eyes and just laid there until I felt the cushion under my feet sink in. Arms wrapped around my legs and a little body laid down on me. I opened my eyes to find Jayden staring right at me, with tearstains on his face and new tears in his eyes. I smiled at him and his bottom lip quivered before he broke out in new tears.

He hugged my legs as hard as he could and cried. I slowly lifted my arm and ran my hand through his hair. They still weren't fully healed, but the injuries were just bad flesh wounds at this point. I could ignore the pain to soothe Jayden. He lifted his head and climbed up me until he was in my lap. Then he wrapped his arms around me and cried into my chest, repeating the word, "momma." I wrapped my arms around him and laid my head down on his. Edward wrapped his arms around both of us and we just sat there like that.

I heard someone clear their throat and I turned my head back to everyone else, but it never left Jayden's. The wolves shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Rose and Alice were trying to keep angry faces, but failing miserably. Carlisle seemed to have been the one to break the silence.

"There is only one thing we want to know, but we shall start with your names." He nodded to the leader-kid to start. He turned in his chair and started with the girl, who was sitting on the end.

"That's Leah, Seth, Embry, Quil, Sam, and I'm Jacob." He seemed to breathe a sigh after he finished speaking. Carlisle nodded slightly to each one as they were introduced.

"I am Carlisle. These are Jasper, Alice, Rosalie, Emmett, my wife Esme, Edward, Jayden, and Bella." Jacob's eyes widened as Carlisle said my name.

"Wh-What's your last name?" he asked hesitantly. I looked at Edward and he shrugged.

"Cullen. But before I was Bella Swan," I answered. My voice was still incredibly weak.

Jacob gasped and then slowly put his head between his hands. The others just stared at me, wide eyed. I had absolutely no idea what was going on and lifted my head. I turned to Edward and he looked like he was concentrating on something. I opened my mind to him and he shared what he was hearing.

_I can't believe this! She's supposed to be dead! Everyone said she died! How is she here?!_

Childhood memories flashed through his mind, him and a little girl with brown hair in each one. They were in a house, in a field, at the beach, having a picnic. Just having good times.

Then I saw Charlie and I remembered. _Jacob Black. My best friend._

A sob escaped me before I could stop it and Edward held me tighter. He kissed my temple and I buried my head in Jayden's neck. He just sniffed and turned his face to mine, his tears wiping on my cheek.

On the last memory, Jacob seemed to flinch. It was of me when he brought my hair away from my face back in the forest. When the recognition passed across his face. The memories paused and faded to black. I raised my head again and saw Jacob on the verge of tears. He looked up at me with self-loathing in his eyes.

"I-I'm sorry, Bella. So, so sorry. I never- I didn't expect- I just-" His hand made a fist in his hair and he closed his eyes.

"Would someone tell me what is going on?" Alice asked. Jacob took his hand from his hair, but didn't look up.

"I- I know Bella. From when we were younger. She came to visit Charlie and we met through our dads. Billy and Charlie had been friends for a long time, so when she came to visit, he thought we'd become good friends, too. But she stopped visiting after a while." Then he looked at me. "Bella, wh- what happened to Charlie?" I closed my eyes and sighed.

"He's dead. Renee and Phil were in a bad accident that killed them both as soon as the impact happened. When Charlie heard, he took any and all calls that came into the station to occupy his mind. He didn't want to think about her. That's when I came back. His last call was a hit and run. Some kid was going around town shooting a gun at passing cars. They had killed one and injured a few more. He headed out to the latest scene and the driver came back. He shot him in the back and it went right through his heart. It killed him instantly," I answered quietly. It hurt to bring it up, but I had moved on. Jacob nodded his head.

"What made you stay here after that?"

"I knew he wanted me to finish high school and he left the house to me, so I just decided to stay there and finish at Forks High." I opened my eyes and looked at him. "But…what were you doing in the woods?"

"Billy heard of the condition of the boy's parents and told us to investigate while no one was there. He knew the family. We smelled the vampires and told Billy. He told us to search the woods for the boy, that he could still be alive. He gave us a picture they had sent him and told us to bring him back if we saw him." He thrust his head in Jayden's direction." He was the only human boy we found. And we were warned of the possibility that he might not be the same age as he was in the picture. Something about vamp children still growing. And then you showed up. Since you were a vamp, I thought you must have been the one to take him from the house."

"Well, you're right on that part. Edward and I went hunting when I smelled smoke. I ran in the direction it was coming from and the house was on fire. There were two vamps inside, but the parents were already dead." I looked down at Jayden and started running my hand through his hair.

"He still looked his age when I found him. The vamps- They were playing with him. And I don't mean the way_ we_ play with him. He got bit before I could get him away, and then everyone else showed up. The two vampires were killed and I tried to stop his change, but I caught it too late. He'll eventually be a vampire, but his change is gradual. It's not like ours. He's aged three years in the past two days, but it'll stop eventually. Carlisle estimated somewhere in his mid- to late teens." Jayden sighed against me and moved himself so he could bury his face in my neck. He wrapped his arms around my neck and I rubbed circles on his back as he finally drifted off to sleep.

"So…you're raising him now?" Seth asked. I nodded.

"He's…not…exactly human anymore, so we can't bring him to an adoption agency. They wouldn't know what's going on with him. It was the best option."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Jacob seemed relieved when I mentioned we'd be raising him.

"Well, I guess we can tell Billy that he's safe, right?" he asked me. I looked over to Carlisle and he nodded before turning to Jacob.

"That's fine, since he already knows about us. And I think, if Bella and Edward agree with it was well, that you and your father are welcome to see him since you knew his parents. The rest of you may, as well, if you wish. We could use the help keeping him occupied." Jake looked skeptically at Carlisle.

"What do you mean by that?"

"He never seems to run out of energy once he starts playing. Just yesterday four of us collapsed out of exhaustion and he was still running around. This morning, he wanted to play again. _That_ is what I mean." Jake's jaw, along with the others', seemed to drop to the floor. They stared at Carlisle for a hint that he was joking, but he just sat there with a serious look on his face. They turned to Edward and me and we nodded.

Jake started to get up and the others followed suit. He didn't seem to know what to say.

"Um…would it…be okay if I…told Billy what happened to you? That you're not dead? It broke him when he heard. You were his last tie to Charlie." I nodded and he smiled. "Can we come back tomorrow? I have someone I need to apologize to," he finished quietly, looking at Jayden's sleeping form. I nodded again and they left.

Everyone made their way to their rooms, smiling at us or giving sympathetic looks, leaving Edward, Jayden, and I alone in the living room.

I looked down at Jayden and ran a hand through his hair. He sighed and tried to bury his face deeper in my neck. My arms had almost fully healed, only scratches left where the wounds had been. I looked at Edward and he smiled at me before kissing my temple. I turned my head more and pressed my lips to his. He smiled against me and broke away too soon for my liking.

"Come on. We've got to get both you and him to bed. We've got company coming tomorrow." He kissed me once more before getting up and carrying both Jayden and myself to our room.

He laid me down on the bed with my back against the headboard. He grabbed a pair of Jayden's pajamas and my own and set them down on the bed. He grabbed a pair of his pajama pants and went into the bathroom, kissing my forehead as he passed. I changed Jayden and then myself and put the clothes in a pile on the floor. He grew agitated when I left the bed, but curled up next to me when I laid back down on my side, grabbing my shirt in his fist. I wrapped my arms around his small form and rubbed his back. Edward came out of the bathroom and laid down on Jayden's other side. He smiled at me and I fell asleep, that image lasting me the whole night.

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed a little action! I know nothing was really happening in the last few chapters, but I had to clarify what was going on with Jayden. Sorry to anyone that likes Jacob! I turned him around later on! I'm not totally against him, I'm just not that with him…**

**One more apology before I let you go. I know many people don't like long chapters, but this new story has been taking up a lot of my inspiration. Quite frankly, I can't wait to start it! I don't see this one being more than ten chapters, though, including the epilogue. There's only one more exciting thing that's going to happen, but I don't know what chapter that'll be in. Give me ideas and I'll try to make it longer!**

**Please review and vote on my poll! It's still going! And chapter 1 of FBUT should be up some time this weekend! ;p**


	8. No Happy Ending

**A/N:**

_No Happy Ending_

**BPOV**

_Everything was black again. But this time, there were no red eyes. Just blackness. I knew I was dreaming. I still had all of my senses, there was just nothing to engage them. My eyes were open and I was seeing what was around me, but there was nothing there to look at._

_There were no smells. No tastes. No sounds. Nothing to touch but what I was standing on. I reached down to try to figure out exactly what that was, but found nothing. But I knew I was standing._

_There was nothing for me to do but stand there, trying to find a change in the environment around me, but there were none. No matter how many times I turned around trying to find one, there was nothing._

_I was starting to get really worried. I had watched too many movies where blackness led to something bad. I started breathing heavy and looking around me more frantically, in the hope that _something_ would be different._

_No such luck._

_Suddenly, something hit my back and my arms became secured behind me. I tried to move them, but it was like I was tied up against something. I felt severe pain in the back of my head and my calf felt crushed. Then I heard a voice I thought I had been done with._

"_You're little boy-toy killed me, Bella, but I wasn't done quite yet. _I hate leaving unfinished business_." I felt James's breath in my ear and shivered in disgust. He laughed evilly before the blackness turned into the factory he had taken me to three months ago. The strange thing was, only a small portion was lit up._

_He was turned toward the bench that had his…torture devices on it. The cameras were in the same place they had been back then. Everything was the same. Except I knew what was coming for me. He turned back around, the poker in his hand again._

"_I have a surprise for you, Bella. I think you'll be quite happy." Or maybe I didn't. He was grinning at me. Never good._

"_You're not alone this time around. There are two other people here, as well. Know why?" I just glared at him. "They are here because they did bad things. They killed people, Bella." I tried to think of who he meant, but it didn't take that long for me to think of the first. But he wasn't done._

"_I'm not alone either, Bella. I'm not the only one that was killed before they could finish what they started." He turned to the side and gestured behind him._

_Standing there were two women and a man with sneers on their faces. Their pale skin and sharp features seemed to glow with their hate. They woman all the way to the left had fiery red hair and the other two…_

_I gasped in recognition. They were the two vampires that had killed Jayden's parents. That meant that the other woman had to be Victoria, the vamp Edward and…the others…killed!_

_Right on cue, the rest of the factory was lit up and I gasped again, this time in horror. There were two other benches, like the one James had, set up near where the others were standing. And behind them, in the same position as me, were a slightly older version of Jayden, and Edward. Neither one seemed to be conscious, their chins resting on their chests, kind of lolling to one side._

_I just slowly shook my head as Victoria and the other girl grabbed similar pokers to James's, and positioned themselves in front of their individual target. They turned their heads to James, like they were waiting for him. He stepped in front of me and grabbed my face, making me look at him instead of them._

"_Here's the deal, my dear. _They_ are going to go through everything _you_ did, and the rest, as well. As are you, I'm not sorry to say. I'm going to finish what I started and there is absolutely nothing you can do to stop me, Bella." He laughed. "You can't even wake up." He laughed again before turning to the girls._

_All three of them stuck their pokers in the little stoves at the end of their bench for a few seconds, and pulled them out. They were glowing, just like before. The back of my shirt was ripped open again, as was Edward and Jayden's. Then, all I felt was searing pain on my back. Before I knew it, the poker was being ripped from my back again and all three of us screamed in pain._

_It went on like that for what seemed like forever. I didn't black out like last time, which just made it seem even longer. I just kept screaming every time the pain would increase, since it didn't stop after a while. I heard Edward and Jayden scream every time I did, like they had synchronized every attack so all of us would feel it at the same time. About half way through it, my legs gave out and I collapsed to the best of my ability with my wrists still tied together._

_Finally, it seemed like our torture was over. There hadn't been any new pain right after the last, like it had been with the others. I slowly opened my eyes to find James leaning against the bench, as were the girls and the man. I looked over at Edward and Jayden and almost screamed._

_There was a poker jutting out of one of their arms and one leg. The other leg had a long, curved blade going straight through it. A shorter blade had been thrust into their stomachs. There were deep cuts on both sides of their necks. I could see the broken bones in their legs. These were the same injuries I had had the last time, but they had more._

_They had been stabbed in each side and their arms had been slashed. There were deep cuts in their faces and their hands had been broken. Burn marks flared on their chests and thighs. Dark bruising could be seen through the shredded remains of their shirts, right over their ribs._

_They looked dead._

_My head shot to James and he just smirked at me._

"_I feel much better now. I'm glad I finally got to finish that. You never would have survived it outside of here." His head jerked to me and I looked at myself. I was in the same condition as Jayden and Edward. He walked over and squatted down next to me, grabbing my face again._

"_I have something to tell you before I let you got back to your oh, so happy life. The four of us were from the same coven. And that coven is coming for you. They want their revenge, just like I did. Expect all twelve of them." My eyes bulged out of my head and my already gasping breath just got raspier. He saw my expression and laughed._

"_Oh, don't worry. It won't be very soon. Probably a month at the most. They have to prepare! And I promise you, it won't be a situation you can talk yourself out of. They are coming for your life." And with that, he punched me in the face, and everything was black again…_

-~~~-

"_Bella!_" Someone was yelling, but they sounded really far away. "_Bella, please wake up! Bella!_" The voice seemed to be getting closer. I felt something gently holding my hand. It felt like someone else's, so I tried to squeeze it, tell them to stop yelling. That I was right here.

A blazing fire of pain shot through my hand and my eyes popped open. I was gasping. Edward was sitting on the bed next to me, holding my hand. He seemed relieved, but the worry was still very much present in his eyes. He gave me a tired smile and I frowned. I tried to raise my free hand to his face, but screamed in pain before I could even lift it. His hand shot to my arm and held it down. My entire body tensed at the pain, sending even more throughout. My scream got louder until I forced my body to relax.

"Don't move, Bella. Please don't move," he pleaded. He looked like he would cry if he could. He took my face in his hands and kissed my forehead lightly. I was still gasping for breath when someone walked to the other side of the bed. Edward kept one hand on my face as I turned my head.

"Bella, what did you just dream about?" Carlisle asked. He looked both shocked and…_scared?_ I tried to get my breath back as much as possible before answering him.

"It was…James…and…Victoria. They were…back and…so were the…vampires…from Jayden's house. He said…he wasn't finished…when you guys…saved me, so…he finished, but it…wasn't just me there." I looked at Edward before turning back to Carlisle.

"Edward…and Jayden were there, too. They were being hurt, just like…when James hurt me. They did everything James did…to me before again, but they…continued. It was like a memory of that day…but Victoria was hurting…Edward because he had everyone kill her…and the two vamps…were hurting Jayden…because we saved him…before they could do…what they wanted."

I had started dry sobbing half way through my explanation, making the pain that had started receding to increase again. My face contorted in pain and I suppressed a scream. All of a sudden, a wave of calm passed over me and I turned to see Jasper standing at the foot of the bed with Alice holding Jayden to her. He had his arms wrapped around her neck and was crying softly.

I started to lay my head back until I noticed why everyone was so worried. All of the injuries I had sustained in my dream currently covered my whole body. In the exact same places.

**EPOV**

I couldn't believe what happened. Bella had been fine when she fell asleep, but then I woke up to Jayden yelling about her being hurt. My eyes popped open to see her lying next to me, the bed sheets shredded where they were over her wounds, and she wouldn't wake up. She had slashes all over her, and gaping wounds in her arms and legs, with a large puncture wound in her stomach.

She looked the same way she did when James took her captive and tortured her.

I told Jayden to stay where he was and ran to get Carlisle, but Alice had beaten me to it. Just as I ran out of the room, she came running out of his, with Carlisle, Jasper, and Esme right behind her. Rose and Emmett came out of their room and followed, not asking a single thing.

Alice went over to Jayden and picked him up off the bed. He wrapped his arms around her neck and cried. She whispered comforting words to him as I sat down carefully on the edge of the bed, gently taking Bella's hand in mine. It looked like both of her hands were broken. I bowed my head over her hand and kept whispering her name, pleading with her, wishing with every fiber of my being that she would wake up.

And she did.

I felt her hand move in mine and her eyes shot open. She was gasping for breath before she tried to move her arm. Then, she started screaming in agony. My hand shot to the only uninjured place on her arm and held it down. I felt tears burning my eyes, but they couldn't come out.

"Don't move, Bella. Please, don't move," I whispered. I took her face in my hands and kissed her forehead. She had calmed herself down at this point, but was still gasping slightly. Carlisle moved to the other side if the bed and I took one hand from her face, keeping the other on her cheek. He asked her what she had dreamed about, and she explained the whole thing, my jaw tightening with every word.

By the time she had finished, she was dry sobbing, causing herself pain from her injuries in her chest and stomach. Jasper calmed her down and she looked at him, but then she noticed just what had us so scared. Her eyes widened as she took in the state of her body, but Jasper calmed her before she could start crying again. She turned her head to me and I just smiled weakly.

"Don't worry, love. We're going to fix you." She nodded and turned her face into my hand. I brushed my thumb across her forehead and could feel her trying to keep herself from sobbing. I turned to Carlisle and he had a determined look on his face.

"We'll have to bite her again, everywhere that she's hurt. The venom will heal her wounds. It will still be painful, but it won't be nearly as bad as the change. She's strong, Edward. She'll be able to take it." I nodded and looked down at Bella. She turned her head to fully meet my gaze and nodded, not a hint of fright in her eyes. I smiled and kissed her forehead once again before taking her hand again.

_When I count to three, bite her. I'll do this side of her, you do that one. We want to get this over with as soon as possible._ I nodded and kept my eyes on Bella's.

_One…_

I kissed her broken hand.

_Two…_

I opened my mouth slightly, letting the venom begin to flow from my fangs.

_Three!_

I sank my teeth into Bella's hand and worked my way up her arm, getting every cut, gash, and puncture. I bit into her neck, feeling her throat vibrate with her screams. I skipped the one in her stomach and moved to her legs, getting all of the wounds there, as well. I moved back up to her abdomen and began biting all of the lesser wounds.

Finally, there was nothing left to do but the last wound. She was still screaming from all of the venom, but nothing like we did when we were changed. I bit down on the edge of the wound, while Carlisle did the same on the other side. She let out one last ear-piercing scream before we let go and she collapsed, whimpering from the burning. She had ripped up the rest of the sheets and I took them from her grasp, replacing them with my hand as I sat down next to her.

I watched as her cuts and gashes slowly closed, healing until not a trace of the injury remained. The punctures seemed to heal from the inside, out, filling in the gaping hole before new skin covered where it had been. I felt the bones in her hand shifting into their rightful places, not a fragment staying behind.

Then, there was nothing left but the woman I had fallen in love with. She was gasping for breath, her eyes closed in relief. I kissed the back of her hand and she turned her head towards me. She opened her eyes slightly and smiled. Carlisle stepped back and Alice took his place, Jayden no longer crying into her shoulder.

She sat down on the edge of the bed and Jayden crawled over to Bella, tearstains on his face. She raised her free arm to him, showing him that she was okay, and he launched himself at her. He wrapped his arms around her neck and she draped her arm over his back, hugging him to her as he repeatedly kissed her face. Suddenly, he stopped and looked up.

"You know, momma, lots and lots a bad tings happen to you," he said, almost like he was scolding her. She laughed and kissed his temple. She looked down at his face and smiled. All of a sudden, she tensed up and I moved closer to her side.

"Bella, love, what is it?" I asked, trying to cover my worry. She turned towards me with a worried look on her face.

"There was something else from that dream. Something I forgot until now. James…he said that the four of them were a part of the same coven. That their coven knows we were the ones that caused their deaths." She paused as everyone took in what she said. But she wasn't done.

"Edward, they're coming. In less than a month, the whole coven will be here for us. To kill us."

**A/N: Dun, dun, dun… Well, I know I've been working on the other story more than this one, but I wanted to get a few of my own out for you guys. I haven't forgotten about this one! I will still update once a week!**

**Please review and tell me what you think! ;p**


	9. Billy

**A/N: I am SOOOOO sorry about the wait. There hasn't been a single day where I haven't done anything with my family. I leave to go back home on Saturday, so hopefully I can get a chapter out Monday. If you're lucky and it rains all day here, maybe I'll get a chapter out before Saturday. Well, I hope it was worth the wait.**

**Enjoy!**

_The Wait_

**BPOV**

Everyone stared at me, their faces ranging from complete shock to complete anxiety. I was leaning more towards the anxiety. Jayden just looked confused and buried his head in my neck again. Carlisle finally broke the silence.

"Bella, just how many vampires are in this coven?" he asked hesitantly. I thought back to my dream for a second before answering.

"He said to expect every member. There's twelve of them." Everyone gasped and continued to stare at me. I squeezed Edward's hand and he slowly blinked.

"Wh-what are…what are we going to do? We're outnumbered-" My hand left its place in his and shot to his mouth, cutting off his rant before it started.

"Please, Edward, not now. Everyone knows we're in trouble, but you never know what might happen between now and when they arrive. Just try to enjoy the time we have now, okay? We'll figure something out."

He closed his eyes and kissed my palm, telling me he understood. I moved my hand to his cheek and smiled at him. He smiled back and kissed me lightly. The moment was completely ruined when the doorbell rang. All of us jumped, but Edward's eyes never left mine. I looked at him questioningly.

"Jacob Black and friends have arrived." I felt Jayden stiffen at his words and looked down at him. He raised his head and looked at me worriedly, and I smiled.

"It's alright, Jayden. He apologized and told us what was going on yesterday after you fell asleep. He asked if he could come back and apologize to you, and he brought someone you might remember." He nodded and kissed my cheek. I laughed and hugged him to me before getting up, him still in my arms.

Alice walked over with clothes in her hands. I gave Jayden to Edward and went to change. I came back out to find Edward and Jayden sitting on the bed waiting for me.

Everyone else had gone down to answer the door. Jayden raised his arms to me and I picked him up, repeatedly kissing his cheeks as he squealed. I stopped and he hugged me around the neck as we made our way downstairs.

I heard two voices coming from the kitchen, slowly getting louder as we got closer. One sounded like it was on the verge of yelling, while Carlisle, the other voice, was trying to calm or reassure the first. Jayden lifted his head and tilted it to one side in confusion.

"Who dat in da kitchen wiff Carwile? He sound mad. Vewy, vewy mad."

"I don't know, baby. But if I tell you to go upstairs, I want you to listen to me, okay? We don't know what he wants." He nodded and laid his head on my shoulder, putting his face in my neck. I looked at Edward, who was suppressing growls, and he nodded to me to enter.

We walked into the kitchen to find Jacob, Leah, Seth, Quil, Embry, Sam, and an older version of Jacob on one side of the kitchen, and the Cullens on the other, the man and Carlisle in front of their respective group. I walked over beside Jasper and Edward stood behind me, one arm around my waist. Jayden kept his head down, but I could feel him starting to tremble. I rubbed his back and he sighed. The man looked at me and I immediately recognized him.

"…Billy…" I whispered, tears forming in my eyes. He glared at me, but it slowly turned to shock as he recognized who I was. I looked at Jacob and he shrugged.

_He wanted to surprise Billy, Bella. But he didn't anticipate this kind of reaction from him over Jayden. Jasper says he is feeling slightly regretful that he even brought him here._ I turned my head to him, not understanding why he would feel that way.

_Billy wants to take Jayden. He doesn't want him in a house full of _leeches_._ I felt my face turn from confusion to shock in a matter of seconds.

I turned to Billy, who still seemed to be trying to make himself believe that I was still alive. I slowly wrapped one arm around Jayden and hugged him to me. He must have tapped into our conversation because his grip around my neck tightened and he started trembling again, worse than before. Billy took a step forward and I felt Edward's arm tighten around me.

"B-Be-Bella?" He squinted at me, like he was trying to find some difference between me and the Bella he knew. I smiled softly.

"Yeah, it's me, Billy. Just without the clumsiness." His face softened slightly and he took another step forward.

I handed Jayden to Edward and took a couple steps forward, Edward hesitantly letting go of me. I was only a few steps away from Billy and he closed the gap, grabbing me and hugging me to him. I felt his tears soak into my shirt and smiled.

After a few moments he put his hands on my shoulder and leaned back to look at my face. A slow smile spread across his aged face and more tears gathered in his tired eyes. I couldn't help but smile back, causing his tears to spill over. I hugged him to me and he sobbed quietly.

"Don't cry, Billy. Please don't cry. I'm still here and I'm not planning on going anywhere anytime soon." He nodded, wrapping his arms around me and squeezing me as hard as he could.

I felt tears gather in my own eyes as I held my second father. Ever since I recognized Jake yesterday, I couldn't stop the memories from my childhood crowding my mind. Whenever Charlie had to go to work while I was there, I would always go to Billy's and play with Jacob. The two of them brought us everywhere together. When my dad wasn't there, Billy was. He was as much a part of my family as the Cullens. I couldn't imagine how much it hurt him to hear of my death, and it just made me even sadder.

A wave of calm enveloped us and I glanced over at Jasper, mouthing a thank you. He nodded and I released my embrace. I grabbed a tissue from Edward's outstretched hand and offered it to Billy, who was trying to desperately wipe the stray tears from his face. He took it and wiped his face before blowing his nose.

Edward slowly walked over and handed Jayden to me. I kissed Edward and he smiled against me. I pulled away and looked at Jayden, who had confusion written across his face. I just smiled and he hugged me around the neck again. I turned back to Billy, who was staring at Jayden.

"Billy, I believe this is who you came for. Jayden, do you remember Billy? He was a friend of your mom and dad." Jayden looked at Billy and tilted his head to the side, nodding slowly. Billy just continued to stare at Jayden, bewilderment evident in his face.

"How- how is this Jayden? He was just a baby last time I saw him. This child looks about four. Maybe even five." He said softly, still not believing what was in front of him. I looked from him to Jayden, dreading what I had to tell him. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"He was…bitten by the vampires that killed his parents. I tried to get the venom out before it changed him completely, but I was too late. He hasn't fully changed, but he _will_ be a vampire sooner or later. There's no stopping it now. I'm sorry, Billy. I tried, I really did, but it was too late by the time I could get to him." Billy shook his head, new tears forming in his eyes again.

"Don't apologize to me, Bella. As long as you tried to save him, I'm happy." He sighed and looked down at his hands.

"I came here thinking…thinking Jayden was still the healthy human baby I knew. That I could get him out of a house full of vampires and raise him like my own son. That he'd have the life his parents would have wanted for him. The life I didn't think you'd get to finish." My eyes were burning from the amount of tears in my eyes, but they couldn't fall.

"But it looks like I was wrong. These…people saved you, and you tried to save him, and I couldn't be more proud of you, Bella. I feel like my daughter's grown up. That little girl that used to come to my house while her father was away or working…she's grown up into a little boy's savior. And new mother, from the looks of things." His gaze had moved down to where Jayden had laid his head down on my shoulder and was watching Billy, his arm loosely around my neck. Jayden nodded.

"Yes. I got a new momma and daddy now. And I isn't gonna let them get hurted like my other ones. Nu-uh." He punctuated his last word with a shake of his head. Billy smiled sadly and looked at me.

"I'm glad to hear that. And I guess I don't have to worry about you dating a vampire anymore, now do I?" I smiled and shook my head. He laughed quietly.

Jacob cleared his throat and I turned to him. He nodded his head at Jayden, who tilted his head to the side, confused once again. Jake sighed and looked at him.

"Jayden, I- I need to…apologize for what…happened yesterday. You know…in the woods. I didn't know who Bella was at the time. As far as any of us knew, she was dead. The last thing I would have expected was for her to show up, not to mention as a vampire. I wouldn't have hurt her or you if I knew who it was." He looked pleadingly at Jayden, who turned to me. I just smiled at him and he abruptly turned back to Jake.

"Okay, I fowgive you. But if you hurt my momma again, I won't. And I'll hurt _you_." Jake's head shot to me in disbelief and I shrugged.

"Oh, you wanna go pway on da jungle gym? Evyone else gets tired before me, so maybe you won't!" Jake's eyes widened again, and he turned to the rest of the pack. They all nodded or shrugged and we headed outside.

"Mr. Black, please feel free to visit Jayden when you wish. I don't want you to feel like you can't see him just because he is here with us," Carlisle said as we sat down on the ground. Billy smiled.

"Thank you, Carlisle. It means a lot to me. And please, call me Billy." After that, they talked like they had known each other for years.

And this is how the next two weeks went. The wolves would come over and play with Jayden, the Cullens joining them when the wolves started getting tired. Sometimes, only a few of them would come while the others patrolled La Push.

Jayden steadily grew into a young boy, reaching nine after a few more unexpected growth spurts. Human food was gone from his diet half way through the second week, and Edward and I took him hunting with us. The first few times, only he hunted. But he learned fast. Soon, he was hunting like a pro right along side us.

My dream never really left my mind, but it wasn't at the front of it until the end of that second week. I could see all of us becoming more and more tense as the deadline grew closer. The third week was like a bomb about to go off. All of us knew something was coming, and it was big.

The wolves sensed this and asked us what was going on. When we told them, all of them almost phased right in our living room. Jasper calmed them down before they could, and they've practically lived at the Cullens' since patrolling the border of their yard 24/7.

Until the day that we all dreaded finally arrived. Half way through the third week, Alice had a vision. A vision that had her on the floor with its intensity. Jasper picked her up and laid her on the couch, sitting next to her until she woke up.

Her eyes shot open and she was gasping for breath. All of us looked at her worriedly, the wolves looking in through the windows. She finally caught her breath and looked directly at Edward and me.

"Tomorrow. They'll be here tomorrow night." She paused, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes.

"All of them."

**A/N: Sorry for the cliffy, but I thought it was a good place to stop. Just to let you know, I'm looking at two more chapters and an Epilogue for this story. Sadly, it is coming to a close. Hopefully, you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. But enough about that!**

**Please review and tell me what you think! I love hearing from you guys! It really brightens my day!**

**And don't forget about my poll and my other story, Fate Brought Us Together! ;p**


	10. The Real Wait

**A/N: Soooooooo sorry it took so long to get this up, but I've been a very bad procrastinator recently. That and I didn't want to put it up until Fanfiction was fixed. So, here it is! I will warn you, it's only a filler, but I hope you enjoy anyway!**

_The Wait_

**BPOV**

Alice spent the rest of the day on the couch, with Jasper at her side. We were worried about her, but she continuously assured us that she was fine. It was unusual for a vision to affect her this way, and she didn't have any of us convinced. Especially since she kept slipping in and out of consciousness.

Edward never left my side, either. Or Jayden's. We were always together, no matter where we were. Rose and Emmett were always together, and so were Esme and Carlisle. And the wolves just increased their patrolling to the max. Only two slept at a time now, instead of the usual four. I tried to convince them to sleep, but they only agreed when we said we'd take their place in patrols.

None of us did anything for the rest of the day, except for patrolling, or saving our energy to. We didn't want to wear ourselves down before it happened, so we tried to take it easy.

Jasper eventually moved Alice up to their room when it looked like she was done passing out and was just asleep. We didn't hear from either of them again.

That night found Edward, Jayden, and I trying to watch TV on the couch, distract ourselves from what was coming, but it didn't work. I was sitting between the two of them, Edward on my left and Jayden on my right, when a loud clap of thunder broke directly over the house. All three of us jumped up, Edward and I landing in a crouch and Jayden standing slightly behind me.

I sighed and stood up, letting myself fall back onto the couch. Edward sat down next to me and Jayden crawled on my lap. I wrapped my arms around him and Edward draped his arm over my shoulder. I leaned my head against his shoulder and closed my eyes. I felt Jayden shift and opened my eyes slightly. He laid his head down on me and I started rubbing his back.

"Momma…why are they doing this? Why do they want to hurt us?" he whispered.

I sighed. I felt so bad about him being dragged into this, but there was nothing I could do to prevent it. As soon as those vampires chose his house, he was a part of this.

"Those people…the ones that are coming…They think we shouldn't have…gotten rid of those people. The ones that were at your house, the man that hurt me before we found you, and the woman daddy stopped from hurting a whole bunch of people. These people were friends with them and didn't think they were doing anything wrong," I answered quietly.

I heard him sniff and I kissed his hair. He had been through so much in such a short amount of time, and things were still happening. I looked up at Edward and he smiled sadly.

_We can't let him get hurt again, Edward._

_I know. We need to make sure he gets nowhere near the fight when it happens. No matter how badly he wants to be there._

I nodded slowly and he kissed my temple. I ran my hand through Jayden's hair until he fell into a fitful sleep. I brought him upstairs, Edward following close behind, and we climbed into bed, not even bothering to change.

I set Jayden down next to me and he rested his head on my shoulder, sighing. Edward laid down on my other side and turned so he was facing me. I turned my head and he rested his forehead against mine, sighing just like Jayden. I kissed him and he smiled against me slightly.

Hopefully not for the last time.

~-~-~-~-~

I woke up the next morning to the sun shining through the window. Edward was still lying next to me, his arm thrown across me. Jayden hadn't moved all night. I ran my hand slowly through his hair and took Edward's hand in mine, rubbing circles on the back with my thumb. He started to stir slightly and I kissed his forehead. His eyes fluttered open and I found myself gazing into liquid gold.

"Morning," I whispered. I brought my lips to his and kissed him. We broke apart and his crooked grin made its appearance.

"I like this alarm. I think I'll keep it." I smirked and kissed him again. We laid back and Jayden jerked awake. He blinked slowly before his gaze found mine.

"Good morning, Jayden. Did you sleep okay?" He smiled sleepily and nodded his head. I kissed his hair and we all got up, Jayden more or less rolling off the bed.

_We need to hunt before tonight,_ Edward thought to me. I nodded discreetly.

We slowly headed downstairs, Jayden walking ahead of us. He was more subdued than usual, and it didn't take a genius to figure out why.

_What are we going to do with him, Edward? We can't let him be out there with us._

_I was thinking about asking Carlisle and Esme to keep him in the house. I know they're coming for all of us, but they didn't do anything. Maybe they'll leave them alone._ I sighed and nodded.

_It's not likely, but it's worth a shot. Someone needs to protect him._ He nodded once before we entered the kitchen.

Alice gave us a knowing and accepting look before turning back into Jasper's embrace. He had his eyes closed and looked like he was having trouble with the depressing and anxious emotions around him. Esme was leaning against the counter, looking out the window, Carlisle standing next to her. Rose was leaning back against Emmett's chest, a distant look in her eyes. Emmett had his face in her hair. Everyone glanced at us as we walked in before going back to what they had been doing.

Jayden pulled on my hand and I looked down at him. He had gotten so big in such a short amount of time…

"Momma, can we go huntin'? Please?" I smiled as best I could and nodded. Everyone seemed to come out of their trance and looked at us. I jerked my head in the direction of the door and we walked out, everyone following at their own pace.

We stepped off the porch and Jake jogged up. He looked exhausted, but refused to take a break. He still felt guilty about what he did.

"We haven't sensed anything from them yet. Oh, Sam, Embry, and Quil went back to La Push. We've kind of been neglecting it. But Leah, Seth, and I are going to stay," he said, kind of in a rush.

"That's fine. You guys have done a lot for us. We are going hunting, so the three of you can take a break." He nodded, but didn't meet my gaze.

"Jake, I'm serious. How do you expect fight if you can't even stay upright?" Just as I said this, he started leaning to one side. I took the few steps between us and stood him back up. I kept my hands on his shoulders and didn't let go until he looked at me.

"You need sleep. Go get some while we're gone, okay? And that goes for Seth and Leah, too." He looked at me and nodded sadly before going to find the others.

Edward wrapped an arm around my waist and we walked in the direction of the forest before the group split. Jayden, Edward, and I ran for about ten miles before coming onto a semi-large herd of deer.

Each of us took our fill and waited while the others finished before heading back towards the house. Jayden was walking between Edward and me and took our hands in his.

We got back to the house about four hours later, thanks to our walk. It was about two o'clock in the afternoon now, and you could feel the immense tension in the air. There was some banging and slamming coming from the house, and we rushed in.

Jake, Leah, and Seth were running down the stairs and stopped when they saw us, shock and anxiety present in their eyes. The Cullens were standing in the kitchen doorway, looking exactly the same.

Edward shoved Jayden and I through the door and slammed it behind him. My head whipped around to every face in the room before I finally felt hat they did. I looked down at Jayden who wrapped his arms around my legs, sobbing.

They were here. Early. And they were ready.

**A/N: I just realized something. For me, filler chapters are the hardest ones to write. Nothing really happens! And I must apologize for that. But the next one is the one you really want to read…**

**Please review and vote on that poll! Oh, if you have any ideas for a name for that story, let me know! ;p**


	11. Fighting for a Future

**A/N: Here's the one you've been waiting for! Beware, there is much in the violence department in this chapter…Actually, this whole chapter is… Anyway…**

**Enjoy!**

_Fighting for a Future_

**BPOV**

I couldn't believe this! They weren't supposed to be here until tonight! How could Alice have been wrong? I mean, I knew the future was subject to change with someone's decisions, but I thought she'd have seen something like this!

All of us just stood there, staring at each other. I slowly bent down and picked Jayden up. Edward wrapped his arms around us and I laid my head on his chest. Esme had her face in her hands and Carlisle embraced her. Alice sat down on the couch, a disbelieving look on her face, and Jasper sat next to her, looking worried. Rose had her arms around Emmett and was staring off into space.

We were suddenly overwhelmed by the different scents coming from outside. We all turned towards the door as a set of footsteps approached the house. I put Jayden down and looked at him.

_I want you to take Carlisle and Esme and go upstairs. Don't come down, no matter what. Do you hear me?_

His eyes filled with tears, but he nodded. I hugged him and kissed his forehead and Edward did the same. He backed up slowly, still looking at us before turning and heading for Carlisle and Esme. They looked at us confused, but Jayden seemed to tell them what we were doing. They looked up at us, defiance in their eyes, but I silently pleaded with them.

There was a knock on the door and they nodded. Esme scooped Jayden up and they ran upstairs, only looking back once. All of us lined up in front of the door, and Edward reached for the knob. They knocked again.

"Come on. We know you're in there," a male voice said, sounding like he was trying to coax a scared child.

Edward opened the door and I walked up next to him. The man at the door was dark skinned and had long dreadlocks. His eyes were blood red. He inclined his head to each of us before turning around and walking off the porch, assuming we would follow. I looked at Edward and he looked at me before taking my hand and leading us outside.

In the large clearing in front of the house was the angriest coven of vampires I had ever seen. A man with bleach blonde hair and his brunette mate actually hissed at us as we walked up.

The man leading us stopped in front of his coven and turned so that he was facing us. The sight of twelve sets of blood red eyes would not be leaving my mind any time soon.

"So, before we take our revenge on you and your family, Mr. Edward Cullen, we would like to make it perfectly clear why we are here." He gestured to the vampires behind him before continuing.

"We were very close friends with the vampires you killed. Jason, the blonde one, is James's brother. His mate, Brianna, was a life-long friend of the vampires you killed, Isabella, to protect that human child. Each of us was related to each vampire you killed, whether through blood or life events. I am Laurent, the leader of this coven. When you killed part of my coven, you unleashed our wrath. And now, you have to die."

The entire coven slowly started laughing, smiling evilly at us. It was like they were all connected. They didn't seem worried at all.

"Oh, and I hope you don't think you'll win just because those three dogs are here. We still outnumber you. Those puppies don't stand a chance." We held back Jake, Seth, and Leah as they tried to launch themselves at Laurent. We could feel them holding back their phase before Jasper calmed them down. They still looked pissed.

"One last thing before we kill you. We know the child's in the house, so you can rest easy knowing we'll take him and the two vampires up there with him out once we're done with you." He smirked and we growled. He jerked his head in our direction and the rest of the coven launched at us.

It had begun.

We let go of the wolves and they phased as they sprang away from us, slamming into one vamp each. I watched as Edward started attacking Jason, but didn't see the vampire coming at me.

I was slammed into the ground and blocked a punch heading for my face. I kicked the vamp in the chest and they flew off me. I jumped to my feet and braced myself as the vamp tackled me again. I took a step back and clawed at her face. She screamed in pain as my nails caught the corner of her eye. She took two steps back and I recognized her as Brianna, Jason's mate.

I launched myself at her, but was tackled from the side, hitting my shoulder hard when I landed. I was punched in the stomach before the weight of the second vamp vanished. I jumped up again to see Jason and Edward fighting it out right next to where I was. He must have tackled me when he heard Brianna scream…

I turned back to her and ran at her flinging my fist into her face with the momentum of my dash. I heard a loud crack and she screamed again, but didn't back down. She came at me with her fists and I blocked and punched, trying to keep her away.

I heard screaming from behind me and turned. Big mistake.

Brianna had produced a blade and drove it into my shoulder. I screamed and punched her in the face with my elbow. She didn't move, so I did it again, harder. This time, her head snapped back and I punched her again. She took a few steps back and I pulled the blade out of me.

It was like nothing I've ever seen. The pommel was made of pure gold and there were large sapphires embedded in the grip. The silver blade looked to be about four or five inches long. Its sides rolled in gentle waves, like a flame. At the bottom of the blade was a little fairy, the wings making the guard. A small flower was poised at the bottom of the hilt.

I looked up as she pulled a second dagger out of her waistline. The sunlight reflected off the blue-tinted blade. It waved, just like the one she put in me, but just once at the bottom. A dragon swooped around her hand, protecting it from blows. From what I could see of the hilt, it looked like a blend of blues and purples, a flame making up the end. There was a small gem in the end, as well.

She came at me, tilting her blade towards my wrist, but I blocked, knocking her hand away. I used the momentum to bring my blade around and slash right over her collarbone.

I took a step back and paused, putting my hand over the still open wound in my shoulder. I could feel it throbbing, even though it didn't bleed. And it burned every time I tried to use it.

She came at me again, this time aiming for my stomach. My reaction was slightly delayed and she managed to cut through my shirt, just nicking the skin underneath. I slipped my foot out and tripped her, causing her to land awkwardly on her strong arm. I slashed at her legs as she fell, and hissed at the pain. Brianna turned and looked at me, smirking.

"What, you don't like the blades? They're made of a special blend of rare metals. They are the only blades able to pierce vampire skin. And they also slow down the healing process, if you haven't noticed. Depending on the injury, it actually makes it worse before it gets better!" She seemed really happy about that last part.

She pushed herself off the ground and dug her dagger into my thigh. I hissed, but I didn't cry out.

"See? Injuries like this and your shoulder just get worse." I growled at her and dug my own blade in between her neck and her shoulder, causing her to scream at the top of her lungs. I pulled it out and her free hand shot up to the wound.

"Thanks for the advice. Maybe you should have kept it to yourself, huh?" She snarled, flipped around, and kicked me in the stomach.

I slammed into a tree and she was immediately right in front of me, her dagger now stuck in my stomach. She ripped it out and brought it to my side, getting me between the ribs before I could block her. I could feel it every time I took a breath, and it hurt. A lot.

I grabbed her hand and took the dagger out, her not resisting. I tightened my grip and brought mine up into her stomach, angling it just right so that it managed to go under her ribs. She screamed again and slashed at my face, drawing the blade down my cheek. I turned the blade and pulled up, cutting her on the inside.

She kept screaming and jerked away from me, the blade slipping out. She snarled again and stabbed towards my heart. I blocked the attack, and the quick slashes that followed, my shoulder sending shockwaves of pain with every movement. I went to block another attack, but my arm suddenly dropped and she got me right in the middle of my chest.

She left it there as I fell to the ground screaming and gasping in pain. She kneeled down next to me, a smirk on her face. She grabbed onto the pommel again and shoved it in farther, all the way to the guard. My screaming cut out and she started laughing, flipping her hair behind her.

"Revenge really is as sweet as they say, isn't it Isabella? I never thought I'd enjoy this as much as I have." She turned her head, looking at something in the distance. I slowly tightened my grip on the pommel of my dagger. There was screaming from behind us and she turned, not paying any attention to me.

I followed her gaze and it landed on Edward, who had two vamps after him. They had daggers just like the one stuck in my chest, but their design was different. Edward had managed to get one from somewhere, and was holding it so that the blade ran parallel to his arm. He had open wounds on both of his arms, and it looked like they had run through his left. There was a hole in his forearm. He also had slashes across his chest and legs.

…_Edward…stab, don't slash…It hurts more…_ He tensed at my voice, but nodded. I knew I had to sound terrible, because that's exactly how I felt.

Both vamps went at him at the same time and he managed to block both, one with his blade and the other by using his wrist to throw off the attack. The vamp just used the momentum Edward gave him to his advantage, getting Edward right under his arm towards his back. He hissed loudly and the other took this time to get his other side. The vamps smiled. He was stuck unless he caused himself immense pain to get free. He seemed to realize this, as well. He hung his head and they started laughing.

"Seems like the hubby isn't doing so well. I bet you wish you could go help him, don't you?" I tightened my grip on the pommel and growled at her, trying t sound as helpless as I could. It wasn't hard.

She turned her head towards me and I slashed at her neck. She had no chance to block. Her blade was still in my chest. She fell back, lifeless, a shocked look stuck on her face. I had almost completely decapitated her.

I painfully took the second blade from my chest, finished what I'd started, and quietly made my way towards Edward. My breath was raspy and I was struggling not to scream with pain.

…_Hang on…I'm coming…_ He didn't move as his captors continued to laugh at him, but I knew he'd heard me.

They had slowly moved behind him, watching the rest of the fights while holding him there. I moved into the trees and hide behind one right in front of Edward. He didn't move his head, but his eyes found me and widened. I leaned against the tree, trying to catch my breath and let some of the pain ease.

_How…how are the others…?_ I asked, gasping even in my mind.

_All of us managed to get a dagger, but each of them had two on them. They've also had more practice than we have with them. Alice, Rose, and Jasper are fighting a single vamp, and Emmett's got two. They're holding on, but the wolves aren't doing so good. The vamps are too fast for them. They're getting pretty beaten up,_ he finished the concern in his eyes evident even from where I was. I nodded and closed my eyes.

_Are you alright, Bella? Where's that girl?_

_I'm fine, and she's gone. I killed her._ I opened my eyes to see his wide with shock.

I straightened up and showed him both of the blades. He smirked.

_So, what's the plan?_

_Think of it as I go along, as of right now. Unless you have any ideas?_

_I'm a shish kabob at the moment, so ideas aren't coming easily. But I'd get them while they're turned around and paying absolutely no attention to what's going on around them._

_Good idea, _I responded brightly. I saw him smile and smiled back before slipping behind the tree.

I turned around and leaned back against the tree, closing my eyes. I sighed and opened them to find three wolves standing in front of me, their heads cocked to the side. I smiled sadly and pointed behind me.

"We're kind of in trouble," I whispered. They seemed to give me "no duh" looks. I turned and leaned out from behind the tree again. I saw the other three wolves over on the far side of the clearing and turned back around.

"You might want to go help Jake, Seth, and Leah. These vamps have daggers that are able to cut through vampire skin. They slow down the healing process, as well. From what Edward told me, they aren't doing so good." I showed them the daggers I had and they nodded. I nodded back before they silently moved off in that direction.

I peeked out from behind the tree again to see the two vamps chatting away like they weren't in the middle of a fight. Edward actually looked annoyed and rolled his eyes when he saw me. One of them shifted and he grimaced, being careful not to make a sound so they wouldn't turn around.

I went out from behind the tree and began walking towards Edward. He was about one hundred feet from me. I got three quarters of the way to him and they still hadn't noticed me.

_You take my left and I'll take my right?_

_If you think you can, then sure._ He nodded and I got right up next to him. We looked at each other and I raised my eyebrow at him. He just smiled and gripped his dagger tighter. We nodded to each other and I turned to the oblivious buffoon in front of me. I put my mouth next to his ear and the dagger to his throat. He immediately tensed.

"You're not very good at this 'don't drop your guard' thing, are you?"

He shook his head and I finished him. His friend turned to me and Edward took him out before he could say anything. He turned out to be Jason, the blonde one.

Edward fell to his knees and I kneeled down next to him. He took out the daggers and handed them to me. He wrapped his arms around himself, his eyes full of pain. I put my hand on his back and put the daggers on the ground, my other hand going over the hole in my chest. I had refrained from breathing that whole time, but it still hurt a lot.

I heard a scream from behind me and turned to see Alice fall to the ground, a blade in her back. Jasper turned and saw her there, and got one in his shoulder. Alice tried to get up, but the vamp kicked her in the side, sending her flying right into Jasper. He managed to catch her with his free arm, but hit the pommel of the blade. She cried out again, even louder. The vamps they were fighting slowly walked towards them, smiling evilly.

Rose turned around and the vamp she was fighting tackled her to the ground, pinning her with a blade at her throat. Emmett was attacked by both of his vamps at the same time, both using their blades to keep from being thrown off. He grabbed at them, but they were able to keep hold of him.

I turned back to Edward, who hadn't moved. He looked up at me, knowing I was going to help them. He closed his eyes and sighed. I rubbed his back and kissed his temple before picking up my daggers and running over to Alice and Jasper.

The vamps saw me coming, took the blades out of Alice and Jasper, and charged. I blocked Alice's female and killed the male, taking his blade as he fell to the ground. I had three now, so I put two in my left hand, holding them so the dagger blades went between my fingers. The vamp didn't look worried, though. She just smirked at me.

"Did you like your dream, Bella? I certainly enjoyed giving it to you." I snarled at her and slashed at her neck.

She leaned back and cut across my stomach. I took a step back and went at her again, ignoring my body's bursts of pain. I hide the second blade behind my back so when she blocked my first attack, I was able to surprise her with the second.

I hit her in the jaw with the end of the dagger, then flicked my wrist so the blade ran along her throat, immediately hiding it in my back pocket again. She jerked back and put her hand to her neck, glaring at me and trying to find the second blade.

I went at her again and she blocked, sliding her blade straight up my arm. I gasped and stepped back. She managed to get from my wrist up to just below my elbow. And it hurt.

She stood up and smiled at me like she won. She jerked her head behind me and I slowly turned around, trying to watch her and see whatever it was going on behind me. I almost dropped my daggers.

Alice, Jasper, Rose, and Emmett had just been thrown by Edward, and the werewolves had been surrounded by the rest of the vamps. They didn't look too good, either. They all phased back and were herded to where the Cullens were. They were pushed to the ground and three of the vamps circled them, each with two daggers drawn and ready. The other seven surrounded me, Laurent directly in front. I crouched, ready for an attack.

"Now, now, Bella. You really don't want to do that. While everyone was fighting, I thought of something. We don't take great pleasure in killing our own kind, so I have a proposition for you. But you, alone. No one can take your place." I stayed silent and didn't move.

"See, I realized something. Except for the incident with dearly departed Victoria, each of the killings had to do with you. James was killed because of you, and so were Kyle and Cassie-"

"I had them killed!" Edward yelled. "It has nothing to do with-" He was cut off as one of the vampires stuck a dagger in his back. He cried out and fell to the ground, gasping and trembling with pain. I turned my attention back to Laurent, growling, and he shrugged.

"They are under orders to keep them quiet. How they do so is up to them. You're just lucky he didn't kill him on the spot." I stopped growling, but continued to glare at him.

"Now, as I was saying, this is the proposition. You will die, here and now, and we will let the rest of your family go alive. What do you say?"

"And the catch is…?" I spat sarcastically.

"Oh, there is not catch, my dear. You die, we leave, and your family will be left in piece. Including the boy you seem to care so much about." I thought for a second, slowly standing up straight.

I looked down at the daggers still in my hands, and then at my family. Their eyes begged me to say no, but I couldn't ignore all of the pain in their eyes. It only magnified my own.

"So, you're saying I die either way. Only, one way will save my family," I said slowly. I looked up to see him nod once. He almost looked like he was pitying me.

"Yes, my dear. It's your choice." I looked back at the faces of my friends and family.

I knew when Alice turned to Jasper and buried her face in his shirt that she had seen what my choice was. I looked at Edward and smiled sadly. His face saw stricken. He knew he couldn't do anything to stop me. The others just looked at me sadly, not noticing their reactions.

I turned back to Laurent, a glare back on my face, and nodded.

"Fine. I'll take your deal. There's just one thing." I lashed out at the nearest vamp, cleanly cutting him in half. I turned back to him to see a shocked and slowly angering look on his face.

"I'm taking as many of you as I can with me!" He snarled and the whole coven came at me at the same time.

I started slashing and hacking in every direction, feeling the daggers hit something every time. Whether it was vamp or metal, I couldn't tell.

I just kept going and going, not slowing down at all. I heard screams every now and then, but only two that sounded like they were their owners' last. I knew the blows I was giving weren't the best, but I was doing what I could to keep myself standing.

I slashed with the two daggers in my left hand and hacked and stabbed with the one in my right. I felt new wounds every so often, but didn't give myself enough time to gauge their severity.

I don't know how long I went on. What I did know was that my entire body was burning with pain. I didn't know how much longer I could go on.

That's when I felt three blades enter my back.

I cried out and took a couple steps forward, but I just couldn't do it anymore. I fell to the ground, the daggers slipping from my hands. I heard gasps, but I mostly heard my own. I heard footsteps coming towards my head.

"Go get them. She's not going anywhere, are you?" Laurent shoved another blade through my thigh, and I didn't even have enough energy to scream at the pain.

I heard a bunch of steps heading away from me, and a minute later they were back, one set sounding lighter than the rest. I didn't want to be right about who it was.

"Hello, my dear boy. You certainly have grown a lot, haven't you?" Jayden didn't respond. I was facing the other way, so I couldn't tell what he looked like.

"Put those two with the others. I want him to watch." I heard some scuffling and what sounded like a not-so-soft landing.

All of a sudden, I was pulled onto my knees by my hair, my arms swinging uselessly at my sides. I almost screamed at the pain, but only managed a small squeak. I opened my eyes to see Jayden standing in front of me, one of the vampire's hands at the back of his neck, keeping him from going anywhere. His eyes were full of tears as he looked at me, his eyes turning red as he took in the large hole in my chest. One tear fell down his face as he slowly shook his head back and forth.

"Well, I have to say, Isabella, that was the last thing I expected from you. You've managed to kill half of my coven," Laurent said, coming around in front of me. Someone still had me by my hair, but I couldn't see who it was.

He bent down and picked up the two daggers I had dropped, wiping off the blades on his pants. He examined the dragon dagger, smiling as the last rays of the sun glinted off the smooth metal.

"Brianna really loved this dagger. She used it in all of her kills. And yet, here you are with it. Still alive." He turned slightly.

"Watch, boy. This is what happens when you kill your own kind to save humans." He drove the fairy dagger into my chest, right where my heart was. I screamed in pain, my head falling back until it was jerked forward.

"No! Stop it! Stop hurting her!" Jayden yelled, tears falling fast now. Laurent shook his head and brought the dragon dagger to my throat.

"I can't do that, boy. She needs to pay. And it will be with her life, whether you agree or not." Jayden kept screaming as he brought the blade away, preparing to end me.

"Goodbye, Isabella. It was a pleasure taking your life." His arm swung towards me and I closed my eyes.

Until I heard screams of pain that weren't mine.

I felt something slide smoothly across my neck, but it wasn't the deep, life-ending slash I thought it would be.

I opened my eyes and saw Jayden still standing in front of me. The differences? His bronze hair was flying around like he was in a miniature tornado and his face was contorted with rage. His now perfectly angled face and topaz eyes, small fangs slightly hanging out of his mouth. He looked to be about fifteen.

He had fully changed.

I felt the pull from my hair disappear as the screams continued, and I slowly started falling forward. To my surprise, I didn't hit the ground. I was caught by a small patch of fire under me, but I couldn't feel anything except a gentle warmth. It slowly lowered me to the ground before it disappeared.

My head was cushioned by a small patch of grass, and as my eyes slowly closed, I felt my son's hands cupping my face, telling me I'd be fine. I just needed rest. To rest…

And I did.

**A/N: Okay, so what'd you think? I know I didn't go into much detail during the fights, but you get the idea.**

**I only see about two more chapters for this story, and there probably won't be another sequel. I don't want to drag this out too far. I'm looking at one chapter and an Epilogue.**

**So, I hope you're happy with this. I know I tried my best to make it really action-y!**

**Please review and tell me how I did! There are pictures of the first two daggers Bella used in my profile! They're right under my personal info! Check them out, they're really cool! ;p**


	12. The Real Targets

**A/N: This is really short, but the last few chapters have been BPOV, so I thought it only right to give Edward his time. And I'm sure you want to know what happened with Jayden and the other coven!**

**Enjoy!**

_The Real Targets_

**EPOV**

He completely obliterated them. Burned them until nothing was left. Every single one. Even the ones that were already dead.

Jayden screamed as Bella was attacked from behind, still the little kid we knew him to be. That was before the entire coven erupted into flames. They seemed to come straight from the ground, enclosing their entire bodies in less than a second. They were completely gone in a minute. And that's how long it took for him to age another six years.

A little flame erupted near Bella as she fell to the ground, all of us too stunned to catch her. She landed face down in the flames, but they didn't hurt her. She was slowly lowered to the ground so she was lying on her side, the flames continuing to hold her as Jayden ran over.

He collapsed on the ground next to her, taking her face in his hands as he brushed her hair out of her face. He kept whispering to her as her eyes slowly closed, telling her she was going to be fine. That all she needed was rest. That everything would be better after she rested.

I pulled the blade from my back and walked over. I didn't even feel the immense pain. I didn't care.

I kneeled down beside Jayden. His entire body was shaking with the force of his sobbing. I put my hand on his shoulder and he turned to me, burying his face in my chest. I held him to me as he cried, not even noticing the constant throbbing throughout my body from the wounds. Not noticing anything but my son in my arms and my wife lying next to us, her eyes now fully closed.

His mother was his entire world. That was obvious from the moment Bella first held him. But this was the closest he'd ever seen her to death. We didn't even know if she would survive, thanks to these new weapons. All we could do was wait and hope. It's why he was reacting so strongly, and I didn't blame him.

I turned my head slightly, catching Emmett's eye. He walked over and gently rolled Bella onto her stomach. He took the blades out of her before carefully lifting her up. The flames that were holding her quickly died and Emmett took her to the house, Jasper, Rosalie, Alice, Carlisle, and Esme following quickly behind. Each of them shot a glance our way, but didn't come over.

I sat there with my son, his body constantly shaking in my arms, his sobs as dry as my own. He finally stopped when he passed out from exhaustion. I picked him up and slowly started walking to the house, wincing from the pain finally making itself known. I only stumbled once, when the stab wound in the middle of my back seemed to explode with pain. But I didn't stop.

I brought him all the way up to our room. Bella was lying on her back in the middle of our bed. She looked peaceful, but not without pain. She had bandages on her chest, under what remained of her shirt. Her shoulder and the slashes on her face were covered, as well. I knew she had injuries on her legs, but she was covered up from the stomach down.

I laid Jayden down on the couch and dragged it over to the bed. By that time, he was sound asleep. I grabbed the wooden desk chair and set it between the couch and the bed so that I was in the middle of the couch if Jayden woke up. I sat down, my legs screaming at me for bending them, and took Bella's hand.

I still couldn't believe what she did. She was willing to sacrifice her life for us, just like that. I knew if I asked her, she would say that she would. But to see her actually put her life on the line while the rest of us were at the mercy of the enemy? That was different.

And the way she fought.

Looking back on how she used to be, before she was changed, how she would somehow manage to trip over absolutely nothing, or run into things, she was a completely different person. She moved like she had never been that klutzy human. Like she had been a vampire her whole life. She had moved with a sense of grace and power that I had never seen before in my entire existence. I couldn't have been more proud to call her my wife.

I moaned in pain as fire erupted into my back again. I let myself slump forward until my head and some of my chest was resting on the bed. I had felt the blade graze my spine, so I knew it was a serious injury. My sides were burning as well, but that had never stopped burning. It wasn't as bad as my back, but it was a constant pain that didn't let you forget about it.

My vision was starting to get fuzzy and my breathing was uneven and raspy. I closed my eyes, trying to relax myself so I wouldn't make anything else hurt. I heard the door open slightly as Esme came in, but didn't look up.

"Oh! Edward, are you alright?" I could tell she'd been crying just from hearing her voice. I felt her hands on my face and partially opened my eyes, just to have them fall shut again. I was losing strength incredibly fast.

"Carlisle! Carlisle, get in here!" she yelled. I heard the door slam against the wall and someone come in, but still didn't move. By this time, I couldn't.

Someone else was in the doorway, but they took off down the hall. I heard someone ask something to the person coming back into the room, but I couldn't understand what they were saying. Everything was just mumbling.

Someone was messing with my shirt near my wound, but they didn't touch me. They must have found the gash in my side, as well. They lifted my arm and I felt someone's fingers prodding. They got too close to the edges once and I hissed, only managing to breathe out sharply and twitch.

"Sorry, Edward, but we need to get these wrapped up. It won't hurt as much afterward. But we'll have to move you," Carlisle said, his hand on my shoulder. He lowered my arm back down to my side. Esme's hands had disappeared, but I could still hear her quietly sobbing.

"Emmett, could you help us?" I heard some shuffling and Carlisle's hand left my shoulder briefly before returning to its previous position.

"Pick up this chair from behind him, but keep it tilted back towards you. I'll make sure he doesn't fall."

My hand immediately tightened around Bella's and I felt Carlisle's hands on my knees. He must have been kneeling in front of me, because his voice seemed to be directly in front of me now. I felt one of his hands move over mine and try to gently pry it off, but my grip just got tighter. It seemed to be the only thing I could do.

"Edward, you have to let go. We need to tend to your wounds. I promise you that we won't take you out of this room. I just need more space to work. Bella is staying right there, and you'll still be in the same room," he said slowly, allowing my mind to decipher what he was saying.

I hesitated, but eventually loosened my grip. Emmett picked up the chair by the sides, and Carlisle caught me before I fell off the chair. He positioned me so that my head fell back against Emmett's chest and I flinched as my back touched the chair.

He set the chair down and he caught me as I started falling forward. My back hit the chair again and I gasped. My breathing turned ragged again. I heard Emmett apologize, but couldn't respond. He kept his hand on my shoulder so I wouldn't fall, and I tried to open my eyes. They opened just enough for me to see.

They had moved me to the foot of the bed, right in front of the door, but I was still facing Bella. I saw Alice leaning against Rose in the doorway, both of them trying to keep from crying. Rose had her hand over her mouth and the other wrapped around Alice, who was clinging to her like she couldn't stand on her own. Jasper showed up behind her and put his hand on her shoulder, his opposite shoulder bandaged similarly to Bella's.

Carlisle moved in front of me and I heard the sounds of fabric being cut. I felt metal slide against my skin and my shirt parting. He lifted my arm and draped it over his shoulder, continuing to cut down the seam. He got it off and I heard more gasps.

"Carlisle…why…do his…look…different than ours? Both…his and…Bella's…look like that…but not ours." Alice asked, shock and pain causing her to talk slower.

Carlisle looked at me, seeming to hesitate in his answer. But I saw it. My wounds were red and open, just on the verge of being jagged along the edges. It didn't look like it had even begun to heal. My back was just as bad, but the gash clearly showed just how far it went. You could actually see my spine.

"I don't know, Alice. I'm going to have to take a look at the blades to see if they put anything on them. It had to have been only the vampires that were fighting Bella and Edward though. The rest of us are better than these two. It's leading me to believe that Edward and Bella were the only real targets. Even the wolves are fine." He looked at Jasper.

"Do you think you could try to find them? I'm going to need all of them, just to see." He nodded and left. Rose walked Alice over to the end of the bed and sat her down, following Jasper outside. Alice looked like she was hurting, as well, but not as badly as I was.

I felt something cover my side before a flash of white wrapped itself around my torso, something else covering my wound on the other side, as well. I was leaned forward and my chin hit my chest. They wrapped me up tightly, making me thankful that I didn't need to breathe. They finished up there and moved to my back.

They put something over that injury, as well, and wrapped so that the bandage crossed in the middle of my chest, going under my arms and over my shoulders. At the end, they wrapped it around me like they did the other one. They leaned me back in the chair and I tensed, waiting for the pain. But it never came.

"Is that better, Edward?" Esme asked, kneeling in front of me and taking my hands in hers.

The pain was already slowly fading, but not going away completely. I squeezed her hand as hard as I could once and she smiled.

"Carlisle, help me move Bella over a little."

Esme got up on one side of the bed and Carlisle stood on the other. He put his arms under her and lifted her just enough so that they could move her over. They set her down and came back over to me.

Jasper and Rose walked in then, their arms full of daggers that were in the yard. They looked expectantly at Carlisle, who thrust his head down the hallway, indicating his and Esme's room. They nodded and walked out, giving me pitying looks.

Emmett picked me up and my arms and legs swung limply. It was a weird feeling, to say the least. Carlisle moved the blankets and Emmett set me down next to Bella. He looked like he was trying not to cry.

They pulled the covers over me and my head leaned in Bella's direction slightly. Just enough for me to see her. My hand had ended up barely brushing hers, but I couldn't move it closer.

Esme turned around before leaving and lifted the covers. She turned my hand over so that it was on its side and put Bella's in it. I closed my hand around hers and Esme smiled before lowering the blankets back down. She kissed my forehead and left the room, everyone else following her out.

The door closed just as I lost consciousness…

**A/N: I'm thinking I might have just added an extra chapter here…I'll have to see how it plays out.**

**Please review and check out my other stories! ;p**


	13. Amnesia

**A/N: Okay, so this chapter is just a quick summary of what happened, but from Jayden's point of view. I just want to make sure everything is clear.**

**Enjoy!**

_Amnesia_

**Jayden's POV**

I slowly drifted back into consciousness, not exactly sure where I was. I knew I was laying on something soft, but I couldn't think of where I could be. I couldn't even remember what happened before I passed out.

I knew I felt different, though. There was something, but I couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was. It was weird, but I felt…_taller_. Like I had grown again, but more this time. But that wasn't even all of it. I felt…stronger…smarter…just _more_ than what I was. Like I could do anything.

I tried opening my eyes when I heard a door open, and quickly close. I just listened as they walked around. I heard something that sounded like blankets being pulled back, before the person sighed. They put the blankets back and walked around to where I was. They pulled them back again and sighed…again. They walked out of the room, seeming to hesitate at the door, before closing it.

I opened my eyes and found myself in my mom and dad's room. I looked down and was surprised to find myself on their couch. I looked over the back and grew very confused. I was in the middle of the room on the couch that used to be against the windows.

_I was crying, on the ground on my knees, my hands holding…something. I kept repeating myself, but couldn't tell what I was saying. Someone kneeled next to me and squeezed my shoulder. I turned and buried my face in their shirt, knowing they weren't there to hurt me…_

I blinked away the memory and fell back onto the couch. I still didn't know what happened, but I guessed it had something to do with that.

_I'd have to find mom and ask her. Or maybe dad would know…_

The door flew open and I jumped, turning towards the sound. Grandpa Carlisle and Uncle Jasper came in, quickly followed by Grandma Esme, Aunt Alice, Aunt Rose, and Uncle Emmett. But not my parents.

I looked at them questioningly, but their gazes shot to my right. I slowly turned my head, dreading what I was going to see with them looking like they were. And I did.

Both my mom and dad were in the bed, bandages peaking out of the covers. Both of them had their shoulders wrapped up and were unconscious, pained looks on their faces. I stood up slowly and took the few steps over to the side of the bed.

I took my mom's hand out from under the covers and held it in both of mine. I kneeled down next to the bed and waited.

Waited for her to squeeze my hand.

Waited to hear her breathe.

Waited for her eyes to flicker open.

For her to look at me with the same love and caring that she has since the day she saved me.

But she didn't. She didn't move. Her hand stayed limp in mine. I sat there holding her hand until I felt someone's hand on my shoulder. They kneeled down beside me and slowly wrapped their arms around me. I turned my head to find Grandma Esme next to me, her head resting on my shoulder. I turned back to my mom, but she still hadn't moved. My dad was the same way, but it didn't look like he had as many wounds as she did.

I heard someone sit down on the couch behind me, but I didn't turn around. Someone came to my other side, rubbing my back. I don't know how long I stayed there, but eventually, I found my voice again, even though my words were broken.

"Why? Why…does everything…always…happen to them? Why can't…people…leave them…alone?" I gasped out between sobs.

I didn't even notice the absence of tears until Esme took my face in her hands and turned me towards her. She smiled sadly at me and kissed my forehead.

I let go of my mom's hand and let myself fall into her, my head landing on her chest. She scooped me up onto her lap and wrapped her arms around my shaking form, just letting me cry. I turned my face into her shirt and just let go.

I couldn't hold it anymore. Seeing them like this only brought back memories of the other times mom had been hurt. Dad was usually the one saving her, but this time, he couldn't. And I couldn't help them, especially those other times. I tried to do something, but I was too small. I couldn't even remember what happened this time, and that realization brought my sobs to a halt. I lifted my face and looked around to find Grandpa Carlisle sitting on the couch behind me, his face in his hands.

"Gra- Grandpa, what happened to them? I- I don't- I can't remember," I said, still trying to catch my breath.

He jerked, like he was waking up, and looked at me. His face told me nothing at first, like he didn't even hear me, but his expression slowly changed to one of confusion. His head tilted to the side.

"You…don't remember?" he asked. I shook my head and his eyes grew wide.

"Nothing? Nothing at all?" I shook my head again. He moved so that he was sitting on the edge of the couch.

"Do you remember…hunting? Going hunting with your mom and dad early yesterday morning?" I thought back for a second and nodded.

"Yeah, but not much after that. You, Grandma, and I went upstairs when we got back, but I didn't want to go. Something bad was going to happen, and mom and dad were going to be in it. But I can't remember anything after that. It's just a blank." I shook my head, frustrated with myself. From his tone, it sounded like I should be able to remember these things.

"Is it possible that he's got PTSD? Can that be it?" I turned to my left to see Alice sitting on the floor. She must have been the other person kneeling next to me. I looked back at Carlisle to see him nodding his head slowly.

"I don't know if we can actually get that, but he's got the amnesia. His sudden change might have triggered it." He seemed to go into his own little world, leaving me confused and looking at anyone for an explanation.

"Wh- what is he talking about? What change? Wh- what happened?" I asked frantically, my head whipping around to everyone in the room. Finally, I turned to my grandma and she smiled at me, taking my hand.

"You said you remember going hunting, so do you remember what Jacob Black said your parents are?" I thought back to that day, just trying to focus on the words and not the images.

"He said…they were vampires. That they were just like the people that killed my first parents. Like the one that bit me. Is…does that have to do with this? Why I feel different and why they are like this?" I looked at her and she nodded her head sadly.

"Yes. The reason you were growing so fast was because of him attacking you. Your mom tried to get all of his venom out, but it was too late. She got what she could, but there was still some in you. So, ever since we brought you home, you've slowly been changing into one of us. Yesterday, you fully changed when you saw what had happened to you mother. You saved all of us."

I stared at her, not quite believing what she was saying. How could I have saved everyone? I don't doubt the changing part. There's enough of a difference in me to prove that, but I don't feel _that_ strong. I blinked, bringing my attention back into the room.

"But…what was going on? You still didn't tell me what happened," I whispered.

"Well, the family of those two vampires weren't happy that we killed them to save you. They also weren't happy about how your dad had a friend of theirs killed, along with the vampire that almost killed your mother before she was changed. So, they came here to get back at them. They attacked all of us, but their real targets were your parents. They coated their daggers with something that increased the degree of their wounds, which is why they are like this and we aren't. It only affected the first person it wounded."

I nodded slowly, trying to remember what she was telling me. She went on to describe the events of the battle, how we were in one of the bedrooms where we could see what was going on, and everyone got captured and wounded.

The leader was talking to my mom about a deal to save everyone except herself. She agreed, but attacked the vampires surrounding her. She took out a couple before they got her down. That was when the vampires came up and got us out of the room.

They brought us down to where they had everyone and the leader, Laurent, told them to bring Carlisle and Esme over to the others. Another vampire had picked mom up by her hair and the man was talking to her, and to me, telling me that this was what happened when you killed your own kind to save humans.

He drove a blade into mom's chest, and then put another to her throat. He was about to kill her when I screamed and every vampire from the other coven burst into flames. By the time I had ended up by my mom, I was fifteen and they were gone. Little flames had caught her before she hit the ground, and kept her from rolling onto her back.

I had started sobbing again, and she stopped, pulling me into her embrace. I buried my head in her shoulder, shaking my head slowly.

"Shh, Jayden, honey. They're going to be okay. It's just going to take a little longer for them to heal than normal, that's all," she said in my ear, one of her hands on the back of my head.

She rocked me as my sobbing slowed. She picked me up and laid me on the couch, Grandpa Carlisle moving out of the way and Aunt Alice taking his place. My head ended up in her lap and she ran her fingers through my hair as my eyes slowly closed.

"Rest now, Jayden. You've been through a lot. We'll talk more tomorrow, after you wake up," Alice said, and I drifted into an uneasy sleep.

**A/N: I know not a lot happened, but I wanted to give you a look at what's happening in Jayden's head after his change. I'm seeing one or two more chapters, so this is almost over… :(**

**Please review!**


	14. A Stroke of Brilliance

**A/N: I'm sorry this chapter is so short, but the next one is going to be the last one, followed by the epilogue. And then that's it. So…**

**Enjoy!**

_A Stroke of Brilliance_

**Esme's POV**

Carlisle wasn't able to verify what I said to Jayden a week ago. About them just taking a little longer than normal to heal. But I didn't know what else to say. He was so broken, sitting there listening as I replayed the events that landed his parents into their catatonic state. I didn't want to tell him, but there was just nothing else to say.

They still hadn't woken up. He stayed in there with them all day, never leaving their side. His eyes had grown black about two days ago, but we couldn't get him to hunt. He had black bruises under his eyes, and a red tint from not being able to shed his tears.

He sat on that couch holding Bella's hand and resting his head on the bed, not moving from that position unless someone entered the room. But that stopped, as well. He stopped expecting us to walk in with an answer, so he stopped acknowledging us entering completely.

~-~-~-~-~

It's been nine days since the attack. The rest of us were fully healed on the third day. Well, the kids were. Carlisle and I weren't really hurt. Not physically, anyway.

I was walking up the stairs to Edward and Bella's bedroom when I heard soft crying, like the person didn't even know they were doing it. It was coming from their room.

I walked a little faster, but I didn't want to frighten him. I opened the door quietly to see him in the same position as always, but his body was trembling with his sobs. I walked around the couch and kneeled down in front of him. His eyes were unfocused and he didn't even notice me in front of him.

"Jayden, honey, what's the matter?" I asked, putting my hand on the side of his face. He didn't respond.

I sighed and ran my hand slowly through his hair. It was exactly like Edward's, all the way down to the color. His body jerked at the contact, but I didn't pull away. I wanted him to know someone was there with him. He wasn't completely alone.

Suddenly, he blinked and jerked again, and then slowly moved down to my lap. He loosely wrapped his arms around my waist and laid his head on my shoulder. I picked him up and moved us to the couch. He didn't seem to notice.

I held him to me as he sobbed, his body constantly shaking and jerking. He finally slowed and buried his face in my shirt. I could feel him trying to catch his breath, and released my hold a little. He immediately protested and gripped me tighter. I tightened one arm, and moved the other to his back, rubbing it slowly. He loosened slightly and sighed.

I laid my head down on his and sighed, as well. He turned his head slightly, just enough to open one of his eyes. He continued to look straight ahead, his gaze lifeless. He sighed again, blinking slowly.

"They-they're not…going…to wake up…are they, Granma." He said it like a statement. Like he had no hope left. I sighed.

"I don't want to lie to you, Jayden. We've never seen anything like this before. We have no idea what's going to happen. They could stay in a coma, or they could wake up as we sit here. All we can do is wait and try to think up a way to help them," I whispered. He closed his eyes.

"There…there isn't anything…is there," he said, once again making his question a statement. He sounded on the verge of tears again.

"I- I don't know, honey. There has to be something, but whatever was on those blades is throwing us off. I just…I don't know, Jayden. I just don't know. If only there was some kind of…quick fix, like there usually is. Then we wouldn't have to go through this. _They_ wouldn't have to go through this."

He nodded once and we sat there for a while. He fell asleep in my lap and I wrapped my arms tighter around him. He wasn't all that tall for his age, so he fit in my lap fairly well. I kept my head on his and kissed his hair every now and then, like I saw Bella do a few times. I wanted to make him a comfortable as possible. He never really slept well anymore.

I tried my best to think of some way to help the kids, but nothing came to mind. The only thing that kept coming up was the fact that they should be able to heal themselves. That their venom should be able to heal their bodies.

Carlisle walked in and smiled at me, nodding in Jayden's direction. I smiled sadly and shook my head. I knew he was asking if he was any better. His smile faded slightly and he walked over to Edward.

He pulled the blankets back and unwrapped the bandaging from his sides. He pulled away the gauze pad and revealed wounds that looked exactly the same as they did when we first wrapped them. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, his other arm dangling limply at his side. He replaced the gauze, but didn't wrap Edward up just yet.

He came and sat down next to me, lifting Jayden's legs onto his lap. He threw on arm over the back of the couch behind me and pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes in the process.

"I don't know what to do, Esme. I want to try anything and everything, but if I was to try the _wrong_ thing, it might kill them! It's not like treating humans. You give them just about anything and they make some sort of progress. They get cut, you stitch them up. There's always something, even if it doesn't work all the way," he exclaimed quietly. I ran a hand through his hair and left it on his neck, rubbing his jaw line with my thumb. His body visibly relaxed.

"I've been trying to think of something, Carlisle. But the only thing that comes to mind is that their venom should have been able to heal them by now. The effects of whatever was on those blades should be over." He nodded and sighed again, leaning his head into my hand. Suddenly, his eyes shot open and he turned his while body towards me.

"Esme…that…that might just be it! It's…so simple, but it might be our answer!" He stood up without elaborating and paced in front of the couch.

"Our venom…it…it heals us when we are wounded, creating the immediate healing property we all have. But…but what if…if one vampire was to bite another? That is the main concern. There is…a great possibility that it would turn out like when a vampire changes a human. Like when Edward and I changed Bella. She was one the verge of death, but…but the venom from our bites…it healed all of her wounds. Maybe…just maybe it would work the same way. I just…I don't know what will happen if there is still any of that substance in their bodies. This could save them, but it could kill them just as easily."

He paused in his pacing and looked at me, then down at Jayden. He was still sleeping, but his face revealed just how badly. He looked back up at me and sighed. He kneeled down in front of me, putting his hands on my knees.

"I think…we should let him decide. Tell him the risks, and let him decide. They are his parents. We shouldn't be the ones to decide their fate." I nodded, and Jayden jerked in my arms.

"Do it," he whispered. I looked at Carlisle, shock written all over both of our faces. I turned back to Jayden to see him looking up at me, his eyes filled with despair and hopelessness.

"If it might save them, just do it. Leaving them alone isn't doing anything."

"Jayden, are you sure about this? I'm guessing you heard what could happen," I reasoned. I wasn't going to try to change his mind, but I wanted to make sure he knew exactly what was going on.

Jayden nodded and I looked at Carlisle. He nodded once and went over to Edward. He took off the gauze and unwrapped Edward's back and shoulders, then his arm. All of the minor wounds were gone, but the larger ones still looked the same.

Carlisle glanced at us before bending over Edward. He took a deep breath before biting his side, quickly moving to the other side and his forearm. He rolled him over and bit near his shoulders, just above his wound. He rolled him onto his back again and moved to Bella. He unwrapped her, as well, and removed the gauze.

Her body was covered in ragged wounds. There didn't seem to be a significant portion of her body that _didn't_ have a major wound. Carlisle bit each of her wounds, sometimes more than once if they were really bad, before covering both her and Edward back up.

He sat down next to me again, Jayden's legs moving back onto his lap. Jayden had closed his eyes and buried his face in my shirt again. I ran my hand through his hair and kissed the side of his head.

"I remember everything, Granma. Everything that you told me. It came back this morning. That's why I was like that. It…it just…it really hurt to see them like that. To know that I watched from the safety of the house while they risked their lives. And then now, how I'm still unable to help them-" He burst into sobs again, and I rocked him gently.

"I know, Jayden. I know. But there's nothing we can do for them now. We've done all we can. Now we have to just wait and see," I soothed, and he nodded against me.

And we waited.

**A/N: Like I said, short and nothing really happened. Sorry.**

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	15. Visitors and a Reunion

**A/N: I know, I know. It took forever for me to finish this chapter, since I really screwed myself by putting up two new stories with this one still going…But here it is! The last chapter before the Epilogue!**

**Enjoy!**

_Visitors and a Reunion_

**Jayden's POV**

Three days.

It's been three days since Carlisle bit them, and they still haven't woken up. And I hadn't moved from the couch since…my dad brought me up. I haven't left for anything. Not even hunting. I could tell that everyone was really worried about me, but I didn't care. I wanted to be there if they woke up, and nothing was going to stop me.

But I knew they were right. I was getting weaker, not having hunted in twelve days. Usually we hunted every three. They would ask me every time they were going out, but I always refused.

Every single day had become the same as the last since I woke up. I would fall asleep around midnight and wake up every hour from the constant burning in my throat. I would get about three hours of sleep before I would just sit up and stop trying. I would get up and check on each of them before sitting down and wallowing in my constantly draining hope that they would be healed and waking up.

But no. Never.

Each and every time they would look exactly the same, their wounds still gaping, their faces still pained, chests still from lack of breathing. And so became mine, after a while. It took too much energy to continue doing something I didn't need to, so I stopped. A few days ago, I stopped getting up, as well. It's not that I didn't want to. I just couldn't. I didn't have the energy.

Grandma Esme came in yesterday, trying to convince me to go hunting. She told me if I didn't go hunting some time over the next few days, I would more than likely go into a coma until my body withered away to nothing and I died. As she probably expected, I didn't respond. It wouldn't matter if I died at that point, because my parents may already be dead _now_. That would just guarantee that I wouldn't have to live without them. It's why I refused when they thought of bringing the blood to me instead.

Today turned out to be different, though. I heard some commotion downstairs and someone came running up and through the door, which they started leaving open. I was lying on the couch, trying to make up for lost sleep. I opened my eyes to see Alice coming over to me, looking worried. She got on her knees by my face and I slowly turned my head towards her. She looked at me sadly, but quickly composed herself.

"I just had a vision, Jayden. It's really important that you listen, okay? There are these really important people coming here later. They are called the Volturi. They're coming, but we don't know why. Most likely, they heard about what happened and are coming to see your parents. You still with me, Jayden?" She took my face in her hands as my eyes slowly drifted closed. I opened them again and nodded once, just enough to give her an answer.

"I don't think you will, but we want to make sure you won't do anything to them if they go near them. It would be really bad. And they might be here to see you, too, okay? It sounds like, _somehow_, word got around about you. It's really nothing for you to worry about, but I wanted to make sure you knew what was going on." She got that far-away look for a second, before looking at me again. "We have about ten minutes," she said softly.

She had been rubbing my cheek with her thumb as she talked, and I let my eyes drift closed again. I felt her hands tense and her thumb stopped, and I opened my eyes slightly. Just enough for me to see her face. She smiled sadly at me, and there was even more worry in her eyes than before. She wasn't even trying to hide it this time.

"We're really worried about you, Jayden. You know that right?" I closed my eyes again and nodded once. She kissed my forehead and walked out, glancing back once as she walked towards the stairs.

I sighed. I knew she was trying to guilt trip me. And I couldn't…I was finding that it was getting a little harder each time someone came in and talked to me to deny that it was working. I knew they all cared about me, and I them, but I had been so wrapped up in what had happened and what could happen to me that I…just…_forgot_ about them. I hadn't once thought about how they were feeling, either about my parents or what I was letting happen to me.

The front door opened with a squeak and I knew those…_Volturi_ people were here. There was some mumbling, then quiet steps coming up the stairs. I turned my head towards the door and opened my eyes to see Grandpa Carlisle leading three strangers into the room. They looked ancient, and anyone could feel the authority of their years flowing out of them. The rest of my family lined up in front of me, still allowing me to see, but making it harder for the new three to see me.

"Oh, Carlisle! They are worse than what I had imagined! How long have they been like this, exactly?" the white haired vampire said.

"Twelve days, Aro. They have not moved since they lost consciousness," He said evenly.

I moved my gaze to the old vampire and he nodded his gaze on the motionless bodies of my parents. He had pulled the blankets back as he was talking to Carlisle, and was currently staring at the largest of their wounds. My mom was the only one wrapped up, for obvious reasons, but not over all of her wounds.

"How long has it been since you bit them? Three days, you said?" Carlisle nodded and Aro nodded back once.

"And yet nothing has changed," he finished, not needing an answer.

"Who is the young vampire you are trying to hide from me, Carlisle? You of all people should know how rude it is not to introduce your guests to everyone in the household," Aro said scolding.

Grandpa Carlisle's shoulders fell slightly, and he grudgingly moved to the side to give the three a better view. Their eyes grew wide as they took in my weakened state, but they quickly masked their shock with honest curiosity.

"This is Jayden. He is- Well, he _was_ the baby Bella tried to save from the house fire and the vampires that had set it. She wasn't able to save him from being fully changed, so it took a little longer than normal. He reached his full vampire state the day we were attacked," Carlisle said. I knew he was leaving out my power over fire, but I hadn't a clue why. I just played along.

"What has happened to the poor boy, Carlisle? He looks like he hasn't fed in ages! Don't you let the boy hunt?" His piercing gaze shot to Carlisle again, disbelief filling his age-old eyes.

"He has decided that as long as his parents are not…I don't know to explain it." He looked at me before turning back to Aro.

"He will not feed until Bella and Edward have woken. He has not fed since the morning of the attack, _before_ he completed his change. We offered to bring either a kill or blood to him, but he refused." Aro looked at me and tilted his head to the side.

"Would you mind, young man, if I were to take a look at exactly what you were thinking when you decided this? And why you still refuse, even to this day?" I looked at him, then turned my eyes up to my grandpa. He looked at me, but didn't give me any advice, so I slowly blinked once. Aro took my hand from its place on my chest and held it in both of his.

Everything from the day of the attack flashed through my mind. My thoughts, my emotions, and everything I saw. My body jerked every time I had to relive seeing one of my parents being hurt again. When it came to what happened to my mom, my grip tightened on the vampire's hand, but it wasn't enough to hurt him. He simply patted my hand as I felt my heart shredding into a million pieces all over again.

A wave of calm swept over me as he went through the past twelve days, since there wasn't really anything in those memories, and he finally replaced my hand as he reached the events of today. I was gasping for breath, my eyes locked on the ceiling, when I felt someone running their fingers through my hair and clutching my other hand.

I turned my head towards the back of the couch to see Grandma Esme holding my hand, with Aunt Alice standing behind her, her hand on Esme's shoulder. She came around and kneeled next to my head, putting her hand on my shoulder and smiling sadly. Her head whipped around as Aro began to speak.

"Alice, my dear. You didn't see the events of that day before the coven arrived so that this disastrous situation could have been avoided?" He asked.

"No, Aro. I saw their impending arrival, but the events of that day could not have been decided before those who participated had decided what their actions would have been. And I only would have been able to see the results of the vampire versus vampire battles, because of the participation of the werewolves. They blocked out any vision I could have had of the victor," she said, her hand freezing in my hair as she answered. Her hand began its previous action as soon as she finished. Aro nodded his understanding before turning his attention back to me.

"I understand your reasoning behind your actions, my young friend, but it is a severe waste of the talent I just witnessed in your memories. Your control over fire would be an amazing asset to the Volturi Guard, if you wished to join it." He looked down at me, curiosity still filling his eyes. I felt everyone's stares as he waited for a response, and looked at the ceiling. Aunt Alice's hand had paused again, causing her to be cradling my head in her palm. The thoughts of my family floated through the bond I had made with each of them, and I listened to their inner pleadings.

_No! He can't go with them! He just can't!_

_We'd lose him forever if he decides to take this offer…_

_He'd still be alive, but we would never see him again…_

_Oh, no! Not my little buddy! They'd turn him into a monster!_

_I don't know what I'd do if he left…_

…_What would Bella and Edward say…?_

It felt like a slap in the face, that last thought. I knew I'd say no, no matter what they wanted, but the fact that Jasper still contemplated what my parents would think of my decision made it that more concrete. I couldn't leave them now, not after everything that has happened, and what I had been willing to do for them. What I was still willing to do for them. But what made my final decision the only option for me, was the whisper I heard just as I turned my gaze back to Aro's waiting eyes.

"No…"

My eyes whipped to the direction of the voice, and landed on the bed. Neither of my parents looked like they had moved, but the longer I stared, the more I noticed the shallow and slow rise and fall of my mother's fully healed chest. I felt my eyes grow wide as my vision tunneled until there was just her and my father. His chest rose and fell in time with hers, and their thoughts flowed into my head at the exact same moment.

Impending loss, fear, hopelessness, desperation…All of them entered me at the same time with such intensity that I gasped and my vision became a bright light. It slowly faded as I caught my breath, letting me see my mother's hand twitch before moving towards the edge of the bed. It stopped, directly pointing at Aro, and he took it.

The only difference between Aro taking my hand and him taking my mom's was the fact that she didn't let him roam through her mind. She showed him what she wanted him the see, hear, feel, before pushing him out. He took a step back as she assaulted him with her memories of the end of the fight, how she was willing to die to see that her entire family was spared, how defeated she felt when they brought me outside to watch her die, how ashamed that she couldn't save me from the sight.

I felt my eyes fill with tears and my breathing become ragged once more. No words could describe how much I had missed my mother over the past few days. All I could comprehend now was that she and my father were alive, and I was going to do anything and everything I could to make sure I stayed with them. Both of them were healed, and that was all I had wanted.

"No…" she said again, her voice gaining power as she slowly gained consciousness.

She took her hand from Aro's and brought it to her side, making a fist with the bed sheet. Alice moved her arm so that it was around my shoulders and lifted me, moving herself so that I was lying back against her, but propped up so that I could see. She wrapped her arms around my waist so that I wouldn't fall and rested her chin on my shoulder, my head leaning against hers. I turned my head slightly to see tears in her eyes as well, and an overjoyed smile on her face. She knew her "little brother" wasn't going anywhere now.

I turned my gaze back to my parents just as both of them opened their eyes. They were unfocused at first, but they blinked a few times until their vision was clear. They both turned their heads in Aro's direction, the anger on their faces making him take a small step back.

"You are not taking my son away from me, Aro," my mom hissed. I had never heard her so angry with someone before. Aro sighed and nodded.

"Yes, I see this now. If you had not chosen this particular time to reawaken, he might have agreed, Isabella. But you have completely ruined that opportunity for me…" He looked at the floor, but slowly moved his gaze back to hers, a realization in his eyes.

"Unless, my dear, you and your beloved wish to join me. Edward already knows how much I covet his power, and your mental shield would be a brilliant addition, as well. Jayden, here, would most likely join you if you accepted." He turned to me.

"Wouldn't you, my boy?" I looked at him hesitantly, but didn't answer. I heard a gasp and turned my head to see my mother staring at me from the bed, her eyes welling up as she took in my state. She hastily blinked away her tears before confronting Aro once more.

"The question of whether or not he would join you is irrelevant, since we are graciously refusing your offer," my dad said, getting to their answer before my mom. His voice was full of disgust and anger as he addressed the vampire before us.

"Well, it is a shame, Edward. The three of you would have been the best of the best, I'm sure. But, since it seems like everything here has fallen back into its rightful place, we will take our leave." He turned to Carlisle, who had a smirk on his face.

"It was nice to see you again, my old friend, and your family as well. Remember you are always welcome in Volterra." He shook Carlisle's hand before walking out the door, the other two vampires following him like silent shadows.

I sighed as I watched them leave, slowly closing my eyes in exhaustion. I felt something slam into me, a new pair of arms wrapping themselves around me. A face was pressed into my chest, and the scent of strawberries invaded my nose. I slowly raised my own arms and returned my mother's embrace as much as I could. Her body trembled against me as she cried silently. I felt Alice get out from behind me, but she was quickly replaced by another body. My dad wrapped his arms around my waist, just as Alice had, and rested his forehead on my shoulder. We sat there like that until my mom's sobs subsided, and she lifted her face from my chest.

"What did you do to yourself, baby?" she whispered, taking my face in her hands. My head fell to one side and her eyes teared up again, fear enveloping her. I closed my eyes slowly, and she ran her thumbs over my cheeks. I let my thoughts flow to both of them as I answered her question.

_I…I didn't…want…to be here…if you…and dad…weren't…going to…make it. I…figured if…I didn't feed…the entire…time, that…by the time…we knew what…was happening…to you…I would have…either joined you…or started…feeding again…if you…made it through…_

Her hands tensed at the weakness of my thoughts, but she didn't stop rubbing my face. I opened my eyes again to see her on the brink of sobbing uncontrollably again when Grandpa Carlisle showed up in the doorway.

_They must have left when Aunt Alice got up,_ I thought to myself. It was much easier to do that than to try to communicate with someone with my thoughts at the moment. My dad nodded, hearing me with his power, before turning towards Carlisle.

"We have something for him. As you can see, he is in dire need of a meal. Emmett and Jasper killed an Elk, but it's outside. It's a little large to be bringing into the house." He smiled at the end of his explanation, and my dad scooped me up before standing. My mom stood as well, her face still full of sadness.

I let my head fall against my dad's chest as he carried my down the stairs, my mom right behind us. He went out the front door and stopped on the bottom step, setting me down before sitting down next to me. He leaned my body into his and motioned to someone. I heard something being dragged across the ground, but my vision was slowly going black. There was a noise of slicing before something was dragged across my bottom lip.

I opened my mouth just enough to lick whatever it was, and my body convulsed as the rusty taste of blood hit my tongue. My dad gently grabbed the back of my neck and brought my head forward. Rough hair brushed against my face, but it didn't matter as the sweet smell of blood got closer and closer. I opened my mouth more and the open wound dripped right in. I bit down and drank, drank until the animal was completely dry. I felt my strength slowly building up again as I continued, and was able to support myself more when it was over.

I raised my face from the animal's neck to see the smiling faces of the two people who meant the whole world to me. My mom looked like she was about to cry, _again_, and my dad just looked relieved. Emmett and Jasper dragged the dead body behind the house and my dad stood up, offering his hand to me.

"You're getting the next one on your own," he said. I smiled and took his hand. He helped me up and held on as I wobbled for a second, before helping my mother stand. Each of them grabbed one of my hands and we ran off into the woods.

My family was whole again, and so was I…

**A/N: So, was it worth it?! I happen to think so, but that might be because I wrote it…**

**Anyway, please review and tell me what you thought! What was your favorite part? Did you like this one or Vengeance more? Do you plan on reading any of my other stories? Hope to hear from you!**

**~Angels of Twilight**


	16. Epilogue

**A/N: Okay, guys. This is the last chapter of this story. I'm so sad… :'( That means all of you should review! …Right…? Anyway…**

**This chapter is dedicated to DragonRider250, who has reviewed every single chapter since chapter one of Vengeance, the story that came before this one. You have no idea how happy it made me to see someone who bothered to review EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER! Thank you!**

**And now…**

**Enjoy!**

_Epilogue_

**Jayden's POV**

_2 years later…_

Everything was perfect again. Mom and dad were fine after they woke up, and we healed together. Everyone was happy, just like it should have been to start with.

I could see how badly I had scared my mom when she woke up to me looking the way I did, but we never mentioned it again. They focused on helping me control my power over fire and my thirst, which wasn't very hard. I only had to wait a year before Carlisle said I was ready to go to school. I had never gone to school, so my mom made it routine for me to have some kind of schooling during that year. I learned everything from letters and numbers to calculus in that year. Everything everyone but my mom had to learn over and over again.

We moved from Forks not long after they woke, but we didn't go far. We went up to this little town right on the border of Canada and Washington. Carlisle thought it was safe, since we weren't in Forks all that long.

I started school for the first time that September, my mom joining me in her first year repeating high school as a vampire. She had told me how she had finished the last one as a vamp, but I didn't ask her why. Pain flashed through her eyes as soon as she mentioned it. I could tell it was a touchy subject.

My dad and I went hunting together all the time now, especially when Aunt Alice and Aunt Rose took mom hostage for one of their…makeover sessions. She never looked bad when they were done, so I could only assume they knew what they were doing.

Dad messed around all the time after we were done. He'd climb a tree and tackle me to the ground as I walked by. He said it was good training, but not to tell mom. It wasn't that she was afraid he would hurt me, but the fact that I kept ripping my clothes as I hit the ground. Sometime I got lucky and they only got really dirty, but Grandma Esme always fixed them up for me. She would shake her head and smile every time I brought her more clothes, but she never complained. Sometimes she would follow us just so that she could watch us mess around. We caught her once, and she said it made her happy to see us having fun.

Uncle Emmett and I wrestled a lot after I had healed. It was right after my change, so he wanted to see if I was stronger than him. He didn't think so, since I had let myself get as weak as I did, but I beat him every time, much to his annoyance…

_He jumped on my back and I hit the ground hard. I rolled us over and jumped up, pushing off of him with my arms and legs. He caught a hold of my hand, but I twisted so that my wrist spun in his hand, getting me out of the painful position he had had me in._

_I pulled with all my might and he flipped onto his stomach. I landed on his back and put my knee in between his shoulders. I used the grip he still had on me to bring his arm up behind him, almost to the point to popping his shoulder. He released my wrist and I grabbed his. He tried to move to alleviate the pressure, but I just used his movement to increase it. He growled at me and I laughed._

"_Give up yet, Uncle Emmie?" he asked. He snarled at me, but didn't answer. I looked at my dad, who had been watching from the sidelines, and he grinned._

"_He gives, Jay. You can let him go now." I smiled and let go of him, getting up before he rolled over._

_All of a sudden, Something tackled me to the ground, pinning me with its weight. I heard someone laughing and turned my head to see my dad walking towards me. He sat down in front of my head._

"_Sorry, son, but that was just too good." He was still chuckling and shaking his head._

"_You knew he was going to do that?!" I exclaimed. This made both of them break out laughing, and a third laugh soon joined in._

"_Mom!" I cried indignantly. "This is NOT funny!" They just kept laughing and I huffed. Mom kneeled down behind dad and wrapped her arms around his neck._

"_Think Emmett should let him up, yet?" she asked my dad. His kissed the back of her hand and shook his head, grinning evilly at me. I glared at him, making him chuckle again…_

I didn't think anything could have made me happier than being with my family. I turned out that the only thing that made it better was when I found _her_. Someone just like me.

Charity had been wandering around on the woods for a few weeks, not really knowing what she wanted or where she was going. Dad and I were hunting that evening, and I had just caught on to the scent of a big herd of deer. I had veered off in their direction after he nodded to me when I found the first traces of her scent…

_I unconsciously started following that new scent, instead of the deer that had been my intended targets. Surprisingly, both scents ended up fairly close. I broke through the line of trees and erupted into a clearing full of deer. I took one down before I noticed her._

_She was back behind the trees, hiding behind the nearest one and looking in my direction. I finished the deer and hid it before walked over to her. Her eyes grew frightened as I got closer, so I stopped a few feet away. I leaned slightly to the side to get a better look at her, like what color her eyes were, but she just went farther behind the tree._

_She was beautiful. Plain and simple. She had long blonde hair with brown streaks running through it. It fell so that it framed her face and partially covered her eyes. She was frightened out of her mind, but the way she was standing behind the tree and how her hair fell gave her a shy look, like she was debating whether or not to show herself._

_I straightened myself and she came out so that a little more than half her face was showing. That was when I noticed the golden glow of her eyes. I mentally sighed in relief. I turned and walked to the center of the clearing and sat down. I faced slightly away from her so that she wouldn't think I was expecting her to come out._

_I closed my eyes and hung my head slightly, listening to every movement of the creatures around me. There was a snake in the trees in front of me, but it turned and headed away. The deer had disappeared but stopped not far from where I was sitting when they noticed no one was following them. There was a nest of baby birds in the tree the girl was hiding behind. The sound of insects could be heard as an undertone to everything else. Then I heard the sound I had been waiting for._

_There was a rustling as she slowly came out from behind the tree, and then soft padding as she walked over to me. I heard her walk by and tried to keep my breath from faltering. But I relaxed when I heard the soft plop as she sat down in front of me. I slowly picked my head up and opened my eyes._

_She was sitting directly in front of me, but had left three feet between us. She was looking at me curiously, but the fear was still in her eyes. That's when I noticed how torn her clothes were._

_Her shirt had been torn from the left shoulder almost all the way to the hip. She had a dirty white undershirt on, but that looked torn up, as well. It was just enough to cover her. Her jeans had been ripped at the knees and the bottoms were frayed. There were grass stains all over her clothes and leaves in her hair. I looked at her curiously and she looked down at her lap. She would have been blushing if she could have._

"_What's your name?" I whispered. She tensed when I spoke, but relaxed slightly._

"_I am Charity. Who are you?" She tilted her head to the side and looked up at me._

"_I'm Jayden. I live a few miles from here."_

_I heard someone coming and stood up, moving slightly in front of Charity. She stood up behind me, putting one hand on my shoulder. She was my exact height. The sound was coming from the right, and I got into an upright defensive stance, my left side facing out. I felt myself growing more and more tense as the rustling of the approaching figure slowed._

Relax, Jayden. It's just me,_ my dad thought._

_I sighed and stood up straight. Charity's hand tightened on my shoulder, and I put my hand over it soothingly. My dad slowly walked into the clearing, looking curiously from me to Charity. Through my link to him, I was able to hear her thoughts._

This is too much…I…I need to get out of here…I…I thought I could do it…Talk to someone…But this is too much…_I squeezed her hand reassuringly._

"_It's okay, Charity. He's my dad," I said quietly. She didn't relax, but she didn't think about leaving as vehemently. I offered her my free hand and she took it._

_An electric bolt seemed to go through me, and I jumped. I looked at her, shocked, and she looked the same. We looked down at our hands to see a soft glow slowly fading, and looked at my dad. He crossed his arms over his chest and smirked._

"_Looks like we found a tenth member of the ever-growing Cullen family…" Both of us cocked our heads to the side in confusion, which sent him into a fit of laughter. I felt Charity relax slightly next to me and looked at her._

_Her head was still tilted to the side, her hair falling partially on my arm. A small smile was gracing her perfect mouth as she observed my father's laughter. She turned to me, the smile growing larger._

"_Is he okay?" she asked timidly. I nodded and she turned back. He had stopped laughing by now and was shaking his head._

"_Sorry about that, but you two proved my point with the whole head tilting thing." He walked over and stopped a few steps away from us. Charity didn't step back._

"_I am Edward, Jayden's father. And you are?"_

"_I…I am Charity. I was…changed a few months ago, but the…person left me alone after explaining…everything." She looked at her feet and my dad nodded._

"_Well, Charity, if you wish, you may come with us. You are more than welcome in our home." I smiled and looked at her. Her head shot up and her eyes widened. She squeezed my hand and looked between my father's face and my own._

"_I…I would love to." She smiled slightly, still not believing what she heard. I took a step forward and she followed. We ran all the way back to the house, never letting go of each other…_

I was in my room staring out the window when a pair of arms wrapped around me from behind, a chin resting on my shoulder. I smiled before turning in the loose embrace. Charity smiled softly at me and buried her face in my chest. I wrapped my arms around her and kissed the top of her head. When we had first met, she had been the same height as me. Now, I was a little less than a head taller. And seventeen instead of fifteen.

Why?

How?

Both good questions. Both good questions none of us have a perfect answer for.

The closest we ever came to a reasonable answer was when my mom came up with the idea that I had grown after I found my soul mate. Charity was seventeen when we met, and now I was seventeen. She thought the electric jolt we felt was our connection forming, and, since I was only half vampire to being with, it allowed me to become the same age as my mate. It's exactly what happened, even though the reasoning is still questionable.

Charity brought me back out of my reverie by kissing my neck. I looked down at her and she rested her chin on my chest, her face tilted up to mine.

"What are you thinking about?" I smiled.

She always knew when something was going through my head. Because of my power, I was able to talk to her like I talked to my mom and dad before I learned how to actually talk. She freaked out at first, but understood after I explained everything, like how I came to be a vampire, how mom and dad found me, what we went through before I was fully changed. Everything.

"Everything." She raised an arched eyebrow at me, a smirk on her face.

"How we met, how you thought something was wrong with Edward when you first met him, how you changed me just by coming into my life…How freaked out you were when I talked to you through your mind," I added with a sly grin. She batted at my arm playfully and sighed.

"I guess you weren't kidding, huh?" I kissed her lightly and shook my head.

"Nope." She smiled.

"You get more and more like that charmer of a father you have every day." There was laughter in the next room, and she sighed.

"I'm sorry, but he's a really nosey mind reader, too!" she yelled. I heard my mother join in with his laughter and chuckled.

"I have to agree, but I'm not that much different." She reached up and kissed me, moving her hands to my face. She pulled away much too soon and ran her thumbs over my cheeks.

"That's okay. No one in this family is like anyone else I've ever met. And I wouldn't have it any other way," she said, a soft smile on her face.

I kissed her, not breaking away like she had, and she led us to the couch. I sat down, never breaking it, and she sat on my lap so her back was against the arm. We broke apart some time later and she leaned against me. I ran my fingers lightly up and down her arm and she sighed, resting her face in the crook of my neck.

I thought I had everything I wanted, but I had found what made me complete. And our family complete.

It's amazing what one person can do…

**A/N: Okay, so for the record, this story is now COMPLETE, making my first two stories I put up on FanFiction complete. It was difficult to write at times, but hopefully it met your expectations.**

**To all anonymous reviewers: I know a few of you review, and I love that. I have a little advice for you, and that is to get an account. Even if it's just to keep track of the stories you're reading! I reviewed anonymously before I got an account, and I don't regret it. But, if you do, make sure to get a separate email from your parents if you share one. I don't think they'll appreciate all of the fanfic emails… ;p**

**I really have nothing to say this time…But I know one thing!**

**Please review! I want to know your favorite parts! And to all future readers, please take the time to tell me what you thought! I don't care how long ago it was that this was finished. I appreciate and respond to every review I get!**

**Thank you so much, guys! ;p**


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